Never Too Young
by koolkame
Summary: At a paranormal convention a team of young superheroes will do battle with their foes for possession of a powerful artifact that could destroy everything they love. Start of the Never Too Young Crossover Universe.
1. Kids These Days

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or the series and books they come from. This a nonprofit work and there is no reason to sue. If you want to hire me, now...

Summary: (Danny Phantom/The Life and Times of Juniper Lee/Ben 10/W.I.T.C.H./American Dragon Xover) At a paranormal convention a gathering of young heroes will meet and do battle with their fiercest foes for possession of a powerful artifact. Part (and start) of the Never Too Young Crossover Universe "Summer of Justice" arc.

Author's Note: Welcome to the beginning of a whole new universe!

Fanfiction crossover universe, that is. I'd love to tell you loads about it, but I'm too tired from the writing, to be honest. Lazy butt... I'll just say that I was inspired by Vathara's Urban Legends series CU, a cool crossover of science-fiction shows both live-action and animated and definitely worth checking out as soon as you get tired of the 'kame. I'm hard on myself, I know.

This is AU, but not totally out there AU where everyone's in the Victorian time period and talking funny; you've read those before, admit it. Just think of NTY as a separate universe where all the shows exist in one world.

The time frame is (in **Bold**, no less): **W.I.T.C.H. post-season two, Danny Phantom post-Urban Jungle, Juniper Lee post-season three, Ben 10 post-season three, and American Dragon Jake Long post-season two**. Expect spoilers up to these points and don't come crying to me if I give something away. If this story is well-received (or even if it's not), I already have sequels in the works. Universe, baby, _universe_.

I'm working on a prequel story, "_**Guardians and Protectors**_" (**Bold **and _Italicised_, boo-yah!) that explains Juniper Lee's back-story with the W.I.T.C.H. girls. Also, I have a W.I.T.C.H./Avatar: The Last Airbender fic that is another prequel for "NTY", an American Dragon crossover with Gargoyles/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles _that is another prequel _and I'm still working on my W.I.T.C.H. fics. See why I'm tired?

"Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way" is by Spectre General (aka Kick Axe) and featured on the Tranformers: The Movie soundtrack. Just seemed appropriate. The Nietzsche quote is from Wikiquote which is just an awesome place for quote-mongers like me. _Viva la Wiki!_

This chapter has been edited and reloaded for grammar changes and fleshing out some back-stories. Little has changed and does not overly affect the story enough to require re-reading.

_ The fortunate ones  
To be fast and free and young  
I want to count myself among  
The fortunate ones _

We won't be denied.

This generations  
With fire in our eyes  
Strong are the ties that bind us  
We don't need no alibis

_We've waited all our lives and now we know our time has come  
Nothing's gonna stand in our way  
Not tonight!  
_

**"Nothing's Gonna Stand In Our Way" by Spectre General**

* * *

_But by my love and hope I beseech you: Do not throw away the hero in your soul! Hold holy your highest hope!_ - Friedrich Nietzsche 

Chapter One: Kids These Days With their Rap Music and Superpowers...

* * *

Her scream was soul-rending, pouring forth heartache like a flood of tears from a parade of mourners. It was the cry of those who witnessed atrocities done to a loved one, knowing that they were too late to intervene. All that pain, all the horror, compressed into a single name.

"Bearbert!" Jasmine "Jazz" Fenton clasped her hands to the sides of her face in perfect imitation of the "Scream" painting as she beheld the damage wrought by her soon-to-be-full-ghost little brother, Daniel "Phantom" Fenton. "What have you done to him!"

"Oh, come on, Jazz," Danny said in a voice too sincerely sweet to be real. It didn't help that he was grinning like the fox that had cleared out the chicken house buffet-style with a side of mashed potatoes and coleslaw. "I thought that Bearbert Einstein needed a new look." He held up the stuffed bear up like a proud father, or more accurately, Dr. Frankenstein showing off "Franky Junior".

Jazz's favorite stuffed animal now sported a black jumpsuit with white gloves and boots, the stylized initial "D" on his chest. That wouldn't have been so bad, except that the toy also had a shock of white hair super-glued onto its head in addition to its "natural" Albert Einstein-esque hairpiece. That was terrible enough, but somehow Danny had covered Bearbert's "wittle" paws in small globes of their parent's newest invention, a self-hardening green foam used for trapping ghosts. It gave the impression that the bear, who Jazz "knew" would never hurt anyone, was firing ectoplasmic energy blasts at random.

Danny held the arms up until Bearbert was "aiming" at Jazz and made blasting noises with his mouth. He chuckled at his own "cleverness" as Jazz's face began to match her red hair. Danny stopped laughing as he inspected "Bearbert Phantom," with an exaggerated look of disappointment. "I know, I know... he doesn't have green eyes. The hobby shop didn't have them in that color and the jumpsuit took so long to make... tell you what, maybe we can find some in Heatherfield? It's a big city, they probably..."

"You... are... dead!" Jazz lunged at him, ready to give Bearbert _his_ green-glowing eyes. She was stopped, however, by a feeling in her chest that pressed against her heart. It wasn't her conscience; it was her seatbelt. Her inner child was prepared to unbuckle her safety device and commit fratricide but her outer adult kept her in check. She glared at Danny. "When this RV stops, I'm going to become an only child."

The other two occupants in the back of the Fenton RV were enjoying the show and silently thankful that they possessed no siblings. Samantha "Sam" Manson and Tuckard "The Tuckster" Foley sat calmly as they watched the pre-game show for what would happen at the end of the road trip; "Sudden Death" was likely to be the theme. Sam leaned toward Tucker and said, "I'll betcha a Reese's Big Cup that it goes for five minutes."

Tucker _pshawed_. "Hey, I know my dawg. I say three."

Danny looked at them as he dangled Bearbert Phantom just out of Jazz's reach. "Hey, what do you guys mean, minutes? Aren't you forgetting that I have...," Danny looked at his parents warily. "...special talents?"

"Yeah, he's right," Sam admitted as she gestured to the ghost-fighting equipment that was stowed all around them. "Thirty seconds before Jazz kicks his butt, and that's my final."

"...I say fifteen. And in case it's longer, we'll go by how long until he cries 'Uncle!'"

"Hey!" While Danny was distracted by their disturbing lack of faith in him, Jazz snatched Bearbert away from him. She held the bear close to her as if she were comforting it.

"It's okay, Bearbert, I don't think any less of you," Jazz said as she consoled the bear. Realizing what she was doing, she morphed back into an outraged woman-child and said to Danny, "That was my property you defaced, dork!"

"'Defaced'? I think he looks great!" Danny crossed his arms behind his head and smiled at Jazz. "Besides, all the kids love Danny Phantom."

From the front of the RV Danny and Jazz's father snorted in disgust. "Kids treating ghosts like rock stars? Why don't they just worship Satan while they're at it?" Jack Fenton grumbled as he slurped cola out of his Fenton Drinking Hat_™_.

"Dad, Satan went out with the nineties," Danny said in a serious voice, though his twinkling crystal-blue eyes spoke differently. "Same with boy bands. Coincidence? I think _not_." The other teens laughed at this, Jazz quickly snapping back to Angry Older Sister Mode when she was done.

To lend credence to her claims of property damage, she took the evidence to a higher power: the Supreme Court of Mom. "Mother, look what Danny did to Bearbert!"

Maddie Fenton turned in her place in the passenger's seat and examined the bear. "Well, I must admit I'm not comfortable about patterning Bearbert after the Ghost Boy, but he does look rather adorable with that hair. It sort of looks like Danny's... hey, is that Fenton Ghost Lock Foam™ on his wittle paws? Oh, Danny, isn't that a little extreme?"

Danny shrugged a if it made perfect sense. "Think of it as a safety precaution. If a ghost tries to use Bearbert to wreak havoc upon the mortal world, the Foam'll stop them."

Jazz snorted. "Just cause it happened last Christmas doesn't mean it'll happen again."

"Maybe," Danny agreed. "Still, we should play it safe. Tell you what, Jazz, I'll put a globe of FGLF on your head, just in case." Maddie, realizing that the argument wasn't becoming serious, turned back to the front and began talking to her husband about the convention they were attending.

Jazz looked at her brother with a withering gaze. "Please, Danny. I really doubt that any practical purpose can be served by destroying Bearbert."

Danny smiled and shook his head. "You're too dramatic, Jazz. He's fine; the hair'll come off in soapy water and the Foam can be broken up with a hammer. I just had a..." He searched for a word. "...urge. Couldn't help myself. As your little brother, I am honor-bound to act upon these urges whenever they occur. Besides," he dropped his voice to a whisper, "Bearbert is sort of a... prototype."

This time he actually sounded serious. Jazz's lifted one eyebrow questioningly. "Prototype?"

"Yep." Danny dug around in his pocket. "Remember that flour bag-sitting service Tucker ran? Well, we figure that with Danny Phantom being, uh, _mostly_ popular with the townspeople, we could make some college fund money by selling these." He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to his sister, giving their parents a look out of the corner of his eye to indicate that they were not meant to see whatever it was.

Jazz looked at him suspiciously, than inspected the sheet of paper. On it was a sketch of a teddy bear not unlike Bearbert Einstein in his new garb. This bear was a little sleeker than Bearbert and lacked the Einstein hairstyle; in fact, it looked like a bear version of Danny Phantom. Jazz looked up at her brother with a surprised look. "You're gonna sell stuffed animals?"

"You got it! I got the idea when I was, uh, _renovating_ Bearbert. Tuck's already figured up the costs and we're just waiting for the bear heads to arrive. "

"But... you can't sew."

"Don't have to. Tuck programmed one of those new model sewing machines to do everything for us. All we have to do is put the stuffing in. We won't use the Ghost Lock Foam, of course; instead, we're going to build a plastic melting kiln with instructions off the internet. The ectoplasmic blasts are for display; you can slide them off if your kid wants to take the doll to bed. See? Bearbert's helping us out, he's our model. Like Fabio. With fur."

Jazz was actually impressed. "You might be onto something, Danny. Most of the girls at school would want one."

"Not to mention Paulina," Sam said with equal parts disdain and mirth.

"And Dash," Tucker added with a sickly amused look. It was disturbing to the kids to know that Casper High's quarterback-slash-top bully was an avid collector of stuffed bears.

Danny grimaced at the thought of Dash curling up with a bear of his alter-ego. "Please don't remind me. I'm going to need enough therapy as it is later in life. At least I'll have a psychologist in the family."

"Oh, like you listen to me _now_." Jazz frowned as a thought occurred to her. "But wait; wouldn't it be, you know, _risky_ selling these yourself?"

"Already got it covered. We've made a deal with the comic shop for them to display a few bears for us. After that, we can sell more online. See? Easy money."

Jazz grinned as she aimed Bearbert's paws at Danny. "Right on target, little bro. Maybe you're becoming more responsible."

"Or greedy," Sam suggested.

Danny held his hands up in protest. "Hey, don't forget you're our first confirmed order, Sam." Sam blushed lightly; as a practicing Goth, most stuffed animals were a _faux pas _unless fake blood was involved. "Besides, with my grades I'll need all the help I can get; you know my GPA would be better if I had less... extracurricular activities to deal with. "

Jazz had to concede that point. Danny was in many ways one of the brightest kids at their school but his intelligence and wits weren't as apparent in academia as they were on the battlefield. Even though Danny looked like a normal fourteen-year-old boy, he was actually a real-life superhero named Danny Phantom. When Danny was caught inside one of their parent's inventions, a "Ghost Portal," his genetic structure was bonded with ectoplasm to make him a half-human, half-ghost.

With powers such as flight, invisibility, intangibility, and energy blasts he had privately fought battle after battle against destructive spirits with only Sam and Tucker beside him until Jazz discovered his true identity. She had kept it a secret from everyone, even her parents and initially Danny himself until she became an honorary member of Team Phantom.

Though they battled in a manner befitting their familial stations, Jazz loved her brother dearly. She knew he suffered for the good of others, and she tried to ease his burden whenever possible. Still, there were limits to her patience. "As happy as I am that you're showing signs of growing up, I'm still going to kill you when we get to Heatherfield."

Danny smirked. "You can try."

Sam seemed to consider Danny's bravado and turned to Tucker. "I'll change mine to forty-five seconds."

"I say thirty-five."

"You guys are _so_ off my buddy list," Danny growled at them

"Ah hah!" Jack shouted from the front. With Jack, this could have meant he'd either thought of a new ghost-fighting invention or finished his drink without spilling it. As it turned out it was neither, and Jack actually spilled his drink as he "Ah-hah"ed!" "Front and center, kids, we're coming up on Heatherfield!"

The teens leaned out of their seats for a better view out of the Fenton RV's massive windshield. The hill they were rounding was given to a view of a modern yet homey city where high-rise buildings lay a few blocks from residential homes. A large suspension bridge could be seen crossing the river and connecting the older neighborhoods with the ultra-modern downtown, a symbolic architectural statement linking the past with the future. Boats floated lazily in the harbor like massive sea-creatures come to rest in the peaceful waters. Though the Fentons had been to several large cities, they had never seen one quite like Heatherfield; this was true in more ways than one, as Danny and his friends would soon discover.

As he marveled at the fact that a cityscape could be so inviting and warm, Danny had a weird feeling that was reminiscent of his Ghost Sense, a power he possessed that allowed him to detect his spectral foes. When he looked at Heatherfield, he was reminded of his hometown of Amity Park. Which was odd, because Amity Park was famous only for the aggressive hauntings visited upon it; Heatherfield was so normal it was considered boring by the travel website Danny had went to when he learned of the convention trip.

Even as he tried to dismiss his instincts, he found he could not argue with every cell in his body telling him to be on guard. Something about Heatherfield was _very different_. Confused but focused, Danny's face set in a hard line of determination that seemed out-of-place on a fourteen-year-old's face. Whatever it was, he was Danny Phantom, and he was ready for it.

He was unaware that Jazz was watching him, similarly confused but also sure that Danny could handle himself whatever it was. She looked at Bearbert Phantom and smiled as she realized that no matter how much he had changed, he was still her annoying little brother.

And she was going to kill him when the RV stopped. In ten seconds flat.

* * *

Annoying little cousins were marginally better than annoying little brothers if only because you didn't have to live with them, barring mitigating circumstances. Examples of these horrible circumstances include: natural disasters, bankruptcy, alien invasions...

Summer vacation road trips with your grandpa. Which wasn't such a bad circumstance as long as the aforementioned annoying little cousin wasn't brought along. If "it" was...

"You... are... dead!" Gwen Tennyson said as she chased her younger cousin Ben around the inside of their grandfather's RV. Considering the limited space the pursuit was happening in, the little monster was being particularly evasive. Quite a feat, considering he was wearing one of her sun dresses and covered in slippery pickle juice.

"I can explain _everything_!" Ben Tennyson said as he scrambled onto the table in the kitchen area. Gwen glared up at him, her hands held out to her sides and fingers twitching like a gunslinger in Grandpa Max's old movies. She didn't know why Ben had her dress on and really didn't care to know. Most likely it was one of his pranks he liked to pull on her; she _hoped_ it was one of his pranks. "This is not what it looks like!"

"Oh, I hope it isn't! I'm actually hoping this was some stupid prank!" Gwen said as she lunged at him. Ben leapt to the side and slid across the linoleum floor on dill pickle juice-coated sneakers as he made for the bathroom. Gwen followed, skidding a little on the pickle juice herself, and reaching the door just as Ben slammed it shut. "Ben! Take off my dress and come out of there _right now_!"

"Not yet!" Ben said from inside his sanctuary.

"Why? What are you doing in there?"

"Experimenting!" he said gleefully.

Gwen gulped as bad images ran through her mind. "Ben, as much as I support your right to choose an alternative lifestyle, I really wish you wouldn't use my things to do it." He was only wearing her _dress_, right?

"Gahhh! No! That's not what I mean... Here, I'll show you." A series of small beeps and warbles drifted through the door. Gwen recognized these particular pieces of audio and was about to start pounding on the door when a bright green light and a loud cackling noise came from inside the bathroom.

"Ben! Ben?" She opened the door expecting to see something... unearthly. Instead she saw... nothing. Not even her dress. "Ben? Ben, are you the little guy again?" She slowly brushed aside the shower curtains. No Ben. She looked under the toilet. Eewww... no Ben, though.

Gwen rose and scratched her head. If she (god forbid) were the dorkface, where would...

Her eyes widened as she glanced upward, just in time for a small gray creature dropped onto her face and latched onto. Gwen screamed instinctively and clawed at the creature as it traversed her face like a set of monkey bars, laughing in a tiny high-pitched voice. She stumbled out of the bathroom and nearly slipped on the pickle juice, all the while shouting words young ladies shouldn't say.

Gwen finally got a hold of it and held the tiny thing upside down an arm's length in front of her. Its large eyes shone mischievously as it grinned at her with needle-sharp teeth. Its T-shaped head was as large as its body and narrow limbs combined. Whereas the last time Gwen had seen it was wearing a black-and-white jumpsuit, the garment was now a bright and cheery yellow.

The same color as her sun dress.

"_This_ is what you wore the dress for?" she asked the frog-like creature.

"_Just wanted_ _to see if I could modify the costume a little,_" it answered in a snooty tone. "_I've been working on some ideas... a logo perhaps._"

"But why my dress? My _favorite_ dress?"

That little mouth widened slightly in an inhuman grin. "_In case something went horribly wrong. Didn't want any of my clothes to get dissolved. And if yours did, well... bonus points._" The creature gave another high-pitched laugh.

"Why... _you_...if you weren't so little..." Gwen fought to keep from squeezing. "Then what was with the pickle juice?"

"_Oh. Well, metamorphosis always makes me hungry. I made a sandwich and I was putting the pickles on when I heard you coming. I... kind of panicked and tried to put it back without tightening the lid properly and... you can postulate the rest._"

Gwen was about to start yelling again when an older man's voice came from the door to the RV. "Gwen? Ben? Are you kids in here?" Their grandfather Max Tennyson poked his head in the door. "Is that... pickles I smell?"

"It's all Ben's fault!" Gwen proclaimed as she shoved the yellow-clad creature in Max's face.

Max, knowing his eyes were not as good as they used to be, leaned close and examined the being. "Something seems different about this one..."

The creature, which was actually Ben, gave a chittering chuckle. "_I'm trying out a new look. Whaddaya think about the color? I know Gwen likes it!_"

Gwen rolled her eyes. "He drenched my favorite sun dress in pickle juice! And he's playing around with the Omnitrix again!"

Max sighed and shook his head. "Ben, I thought we had agreed to only use the watch for practice purposes. You remember what happened in D.C.?"

Ben gave an upside-down shrug. "_This _is_ practice, Grandpa. I'm going to repair my Game Boy while I'm Grey Matter. I just wanted to try and change the costume while I was at it. If you'll excuse me..._" He wiggled out of Gwen's grasp and dropped to the floor lightly, twisting in midair to land on his feet. He then scampered over to his travel bag and hopped inside; a few seconds of shuffling later he climbed out with the portable device and began to unscrew its panels with what looked like a paper clip. Within ten seconds the Game Boy was a mess of circuits and components spread across the floor, Ben working with the device's innards like he'd been trained since day one to do so.

Max and Gwen watched the small creature that was their relation with no small amount of wonder. Ben's daily transformations into alien creatures had become routine, yet they would never get entirely used to it. When Ben had found a meteorite that was actually an alien probe, he had also found a watch-like device that attached to his wrist.

This watch, which they had learned was called an Omnitrix, allowed Ben to change into over ten different alien forms with varying abilities and superpowers; the one he was using now he called Grey Matter and possessed big-time technological genius in a small package. Other forms were super-strong or super-fast or swam underwater or flew; the alien that told them what it was had called the Omnitrix the most powerful weapon in the Galaxy.

As far as Gwen was concerned, anything that could change Ben Tennyson into a superhero was a force to be reckoned with. They had battled everything from shape shifting aliens to bounty hunters to a mad scientist on their summer vacation so far. The watch seemed to attract trouble, indirectly or directly.

Not that they were bummed out about it; what's a cooler thing to do on a summer vacation than being a superhero? Even Grandpa Max seemed to be having a good time, their constant adventures reminiscent of his days as an alien-fighting secret agent. The kids had only recently found out about Max's secret profession and Gwen suspected that there had to be a lot more to discover about their grandfather.

"So, grandpa, how long until we reach Heatherfield?" she asked. Having visited places like Washington D.C. and New York on their trip, a place like Heatherfield was not what Gwen would have imagined to be a priority stop. It had turned out that Grandpa Max had an old friend that lived there and they would be meeting some more friends and their grandkids for what he called, "a regular jamboree of young and old."

Ben had said it was the lamest thing he had ever heard of (just to Gwen, of course.) In his own mind, these kids were already boring; one of the unpleasant side-effects of the Omnitrix was his inflated ego. There were many times that Gwen wished she had been the one to find the watch; Ben was so immature she couldn't believe they were sharing DNA strands.

It didn't help that they looked similar enough to each other to be siblings; besides their light green eyes they shared enough features that more than a few people had thought they were brother and sister. One nice old lady with terrible eyesight had thought they were fraternal twins. Gwen still got shivers at the thought of sharing a womb with Ben.

Gwen purged those horrible thoughts and refocused on her grandpa. Max looked thoughtful, his internal G.P.S. ticking off miles. "I'd say... about an hour. As soon as Ben reverts get him to clean up the pickle juice and we'll be off. I'm going to call ahead and let Yan know we're coming. She promised to fix us a special dinner when we arrived, but with tourist season and all she'll probably be too busy."

Gwen smiled slyly. "Fixing you a special dinner, Grampa? Is she an old girlfriend or something?"

Max blushed and laughed shakily. "Well, we had a few... you know what, I'd better call ahead. Make sure Ben cleans up when he's done." Max left the RV to search for better cell phone reception and to get away from Gwen's observant gaze. "Oh, and see if he can fix the toaster while he's at it."

When he was gone, Gwen pondered this little tidbit of intelligence. If this Yan Lin was an old squeeze of Gramps, she might have vital information on Max's early days. Gwen had already done some digging on Heatherfield itself and it looked like a fairly nice place, despite some strange rumors.

Even as she pored over the accounts, Gwen had a bad feeling that they were walking into another weird-fest; she had shown the reports to Grandpa Max but he had shrugged and said, "There's nothing to worry about. I've been to Heatherfield lots of times and never saw anything dangerous. Besides, it's not like we haven't handled unusual things before."

Gwen could agree that they had been through some pretty dangerous situations over the last few weeks. Mostly due to the Omnitrix, but sometimes just because they were in the right/wrong place at the right/wrong time. Well, if Heatherfield was serving out weirdness like some local dish, Ben could probably handle it.

_Ben could handle it_. Famous last words if Gwen had ever heard any. At least she hadn't said it aloud. Feeling a tug on her pants leg, she looked down and saw Ben holding her jeans with one minute hand. "_Hey, freak_."

It was a sign of Ben's unfailing (and unreasonable) belief in himself that he insulted someone ten times his size. Gwen glared at him as she inquired, "What's your deal, _little_ cousin?"

Ben, no surprise, didn't take the hint. "_Can I ask you something?_"

Gwen raised an eyebrow. Ben rarely asked her for anything. "What?"

Ben turned and stuck his yellow rear end up at her. "_Does this make my butt look big, like yours?_"

She was tempted. She could kick him across the RV like a hackey sack.

But, she was the mature one. It was a shame, though, because he'd never see it coming.

* * *

"You know, we really should have seen this coming."

Wilhelmina "Will" Vandom looked over at her best friend Hay Lin. "I know, I just... I didn't think they'd do a series about it!" she replied as she blew her slightly messy crimson hair out of her face. They were sitting in Will's living room watching television with their other best friends while her mom was out. Will, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale and Hay Lin looked like your average, every day barely-teenaged girls. And they were, technically.

But were also magical warriors chosen to defend Earth and countless other worlds from being invaded by dark forces. They were the Guardians of the Infinite Dimensions, formerly of the Veil and also known as W.I.T.C.H., their weapons the elements themselves and their struggle a secret one.

Unfortunately, current events could possibly change that. As the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar, the mystical crystal that gave them their powers, Will was their leader and felt that she bore if not the blame for the crisis, then at least the responsibility for figuring a way out of it. So far, nada. "I just don't know what I should have done differently."

Hay Lin held her hands up defensively at Will's comments. "Hey, I'm not saying its your fault! I'm just saying that with all the stuff that went down last year people were bound to notice."

"Yeah, but so much publicity? This could be very bad."

"You ain't kidding." Irma said. "We're not even going to get paid royalties for this."

Cornelia looked up from where she was inspecting her long blonde hair for non-existent split ends. "I think having a check mailed to us would spoil the whole "secret identity" concept, Irma."

"I know, I know. I was just kidding. I thought we had established that I was the joker in this little group?"

Taranee laughed as she retied the single braid that hung off her left temple. "I think we all qualify for jokers, Irma, but you are the funniest."

Irma smirked proudly. "When the Heart of Candracar picked us to save the world, it must have thought that having a sense of humor was vital."

"I can't believe it," Will said. Irma thought she was talking about her comment about Guardian qualifications, but their leader was actually looking at the TV. "How on Earth did they know what we looked like?"

Hay Lin squinted at the screen. "It's not that good a likeness. The one that's supposed to be me looks like a total ditz. And the costumes are way off, especially the one that's Cornelia. And Will, you've... well... she's ahhhhhh..."

"I know, she's got a bigger chest. Thanks for reminding me." Will hung her head, her short hair symbolically falling like a red curtain over her face. "All I want to know is, when? Was it in the theater the night the Tracker wrecked the town? Was it when we, well, _attacked_ Dean, er, Mr. Collins? When we ran around during the Star of Threbe thing? I thought we convinced everyone at the Halloween carnival that it was smoke and mirrors...""

Cornelia shook her head. "Does it matter? Look, maybe we should just not transform on Earth any more. We can powers practice in Meridian, right? And I'm not just using this as an excuse to visit Elyon; it might be the best idea until this dies down."

"I don't think it _is _going to die down, Cornelia," Taranee said, running her hand over her short black hair and tugging absent-mindedly on her finished braid. "They're already talking about merchandising: dolls, key chains, video games, plushies..."

"Ooh, a Hay Lin plushie!" The other girls looked at Hay Lin in disbelief. "Well, I'd like one..."

Will pointed at the screen. "You just might get it. I can't believe the Guardians are on..." Will made a face as if the very words made her nauseous.

"...the twelve o'clock news!"

Sure enough, the anchor person was telling them (and most of Heatherfield) about the rumors of flying girls in green and purple costumes that had surfaced in recent months. Even though the talking head on the program was grinning like he thought this was the biggest joke he'd ever reported, the girls were not fooling themselves into thinking no one else took it seriously.

For the last week of school the scuttlebutt around the halls of their school, Sheffield Institute, had been consumed by what people were now calling Heatherfield's Loch Ness Monster. Or, more accurately, the "Heatherfield Fairies." Everyone had a theory, and though none were close to guessing the truth, the girls were made a little more anxious every time someone said, "Hey! I bet they're..." _sitting right next to us_.

Naturally, most people thought they were aliens; the girls had honestly laughed at this in relief. The second most popular theory was government experiments that had escaped from the new high-tech lab that had been built nearby; again they giggled at the idea. Then Uriah, the school's biggest troublemaker, had told everyone that he was certain that the girls were connected to the giant snake-man that he had "bravely fought off" when he and his gang broke into city hall. They had laughed with the rest of the class but inside their stomachs had become twisted with worry. The snake man was familiar to the Guardians, alright; like cobras were to mongooses.

On top of that Martin Tubbs, Irma's persistent and pesky admirer, had vowed to get photos for the school paper and dedicate them to his "Angel of Love." The "Angel of Love' being Irma, of course. Immediately after this Irma had nearly changed her unwanted title to "Angel of Death" had Will and Cornelia not held her back. While Martin generally wasn't the Guardians' biggest concern, his persistence (especially where Irma was concerned) was legendary. Not to mention slightly disturbing.

The last thing they wanted was Martin to get a lucky shot of them somehow. Irma would probably have to agree to marry the boy to keep those photos out of the papers. This was Plan B for Irma; the others had warned her that Plan A could result in life imprisonment if successful. Irma had sarcastically asked if Plan B wouldn't have the same result.

"What I don't get," Irma said, suddenly serious, "is how far this has gotten. I mean, there's no photos, no videos... I have a camera-phone for crying out loud, and this whole fracas is being based on a few eyewitnesses that really didn't see _anything_. How could this have become so big so fast?"

"Well," Taranee said, slipping into Lecture Mode. "Paranormal activity is becoming more popular in the media. Just the other day I heard about dragon sightings in New York..."

"Hey! I know someone in New York!" Hay Lin slapped her hand over her mouth and gave a muffled, "Oh, sorry!" for interrupting Taranee.

"No problem. Like I said, there's a trend going on about the supernatural. It probably has to do with the progress science is making; it's taking all the mystery out of life. So, sightings like these are getting more coverage than they would have. And things that people once thought were impossible are happening all the time nowadays. I mean, a few months ago they proved that ghosts exist, alien sightings are popping up everywhere and a year-and-a-half ago we didn't think that we were any different from other girls." W.I.C.H. nodded and made affirmative sounds; your whole perspective on life could change in a single afternoon.

Hay Lin scratched her head. "Speaking of ghosts, wasn't there a town in the Midwest that got really haunted?"

Will nodded. "Yeah, I heard about that place. Some of the stories seemed pretty out there, like the whole town getting sucked up into another dimension. Well, out there to everybody else. To us, that would be a bad Monday. Actually, my mom has some friends coming to visit that live there..."

Hay Lin's eyes lit up. "I remember now! It was Amity Park! And the ghost boy's name was Manny Phantom!"

Will actually laughed in spite of her mood. "_Danny_ Phantom, Hay Lin. They called him Inviso-Bill until he corrected them."

"Oooooh," Cornelia cooed. "Aren't we informed about the Ghost Boy?"

Will's face flushed red. "What? I have a boyfriend, remember? Excuse me for knowing... something." The other girls smirked at each other knowingly. "I disown you. I disown you all." They laughed at her feeble attempt at sternness.

Actually, Will _was_ something of a fan of Phantom's. Alright, so she was a hardcore fan. She had seen photos of the ghost kid on the news and thought he looked very cool with his snow-white hair and black uniform. While studying up on superheroes on the internet she ended up running searches for anything she could find about "Danny" and even printed off a poster for her locker. The photo was one of the few times Phantom had actually posed for a photographer; he was leaning against a brick wall with his arms crossed and grinning at the camera in a confident manner with those pretty green eyes.

Will found herself grinning back at him whenever she had to get a book. Of course, most of her locker was taken up by pictures of the other Guardians, her mom and, of course, Will's own boyfriend Matt Olsen. Phantom had his place just as the others did, as an idol but not an actual romantic interest. Even Cornelia still had her posters of teen singer/actor Vance Michael Justin despite having dated her own boyfriend Caleb for some time now (the other Guardians counted their Phobos-era feuds as "dating" even if they did not).

One of the powers Will possessed as the Guardian of Quintessence, or the element of life, was the ability to animate electrical devices complete with their own personalities. As such, George (her computer) and Linda (her printer) had commented on her fascination with Phantom. George was mildly disapproving of what he saw as a "young punk" while Linda was much more understanding and had even commented on how cute the Ghost Boy was.

If a Hewlet-Packard printer thought Phantom was good-looking, the kid really had something.

Will didn't guy-watch much since hooking up with Matt and would never _ever_ betray him, _but_ there was a certain appeal to meeting another teen superhero she couldn't deny. What would it be like to meet someone outside their circle that really understood the lifestyle? Matt and their Caleb helped out a lot on missions but their involvement was voluntary and Matt's Shagon persona still gave her the creeps whenever he transformed. Besides, Caleb was all about duty and Matt got a kick out of being a Regent of Earth; Will had never had a say in her being chosen as a Guardian. Though the other girls felt the same at times, but it wouldn't be good idea for their leader to admit how disoriented she felt. But if she could just talk to him, just once...

Did Danny have a choice in being a hero? Would he understand how confused Will sometimes felt as to why she was who she was? Irma's gentle snort brought her back to reality. "'Inviso-Bill'? Huh, it's got a ring to it, but I like Phantom better."

"I saw that picture you have of him in your locker, Will," Cornelia said with a devious look. "He is pretty cute... no wonder impressionable young ladies like our leader are getting interested in ghosts." Will, caught without a retort, stuck her tongue out at Cornelia.

There was brief chuckle session before Taranee chimed in. "Also, Heatherfield is hosting that paranormal convention this week. That's got a lot of people in the _X-Files_ mind set."

"Do you guys want to go?" Hay Lin asked. "It could be fun!"

Cornelia scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Even if it was interesting, I get enough 'freaky' in my diet already. Now, give a _non_-paranormal convention, and I'm there." Plus, she planned to spend the weekend with Caleb. Not a lot of things promised to be as fun as that.

Irma shrugged. "I guess I could go. It is summer vacation after all. I just hope Martin's not there; silly me, it's a weirdness convention, of course he'll be there. He's probably a guest speaker, if not an exhibit." Though Irma was (reluctantly) fond of Martin as a friend, the nerdy boy was the paragon of his species of _Homo Geekius. _"I've got him under control now, more or less, but the last thing I want is for him to corner me on his home-turf."

Taranee, though, was as enthusiastic as Hay Lin about the convention. "You can count me in! I can't wait to see some of the equipment they'll have! Will?"

"Wellll..." Will thought for a second. "If it's not on the day I have dinner with Matt's parents, I'm in. I have to make a better impression than I did the first six times; I ran off the first, got sick on the second, and the third... ugh..."

Hay Lin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Aw, come on, you couldn't have known Matt's dad was allergic to walnuts. You know now, right?"

"Yeah, and so does the ER unit at Heatherfield General. Darn it! I just know they think I'm some sort of... of..."

"Floozy trying to ride Matt's coattails to fame and fortune?" Irma offered. "Listen, babe, if they can't deal with you, forget'em."

Will's face dropped. "That's just it; I _can't_ forget them. Matt's real tight with both his folks, like you guys are." _Like I'm not_, she thought. "And I don't want Matt to choose between them and me if they don't like me. If his parents don't warm up to me I may have to..."

Cornelia narrowed her eyes at Will. "Please tell me you wouldn't break up with him because the parental units are stuffy about who he dates?" The others looked at Will in expectation, their concerns about exposure forgotten for the moment. One of their own was facing a man crisis, and some things took priority.

"I... I don't _want_ to but... I thought it would be easier when things calmed down, you know? I forgot that regular life is so _hard_. I thought that it felt like that because of our Guardian duties but now..."

Will blew out a breath. "Okay, you how unsure we were at the beginning? I could barely fly straight but as time passed I grew into it, we all did. And since Nerissa we've dealt with a few serious things but nothing that lasted too long. And it's been great, mostly because of Matt and how much better I'm doing in school but... it's hard to think of myself as just _Will_, you know? I'm trying to impress his parents but there is _no way_ I can go on about how we broke into Cavigor prison, can I?"

"So you're saying," Taranee said, "that the only thing you feel proud about is being a Guardian? Will..."

"I guess. I mean, we spend as much time as possible practicing and we're still getting better; I'm proud of _us_, but there's nothing else for me to hold up for them to see. Take away the Heart and I'm a fairly good swimmer; that's it. I get the vibe from Matt's parents that I'm not good enough for him."

"Well, that's ridiculous," Hay Lin said. "They don't know you like we do..."

"That's my point! No one but you guys and Mrs. Lin knows what I really do. Not even Mom knows the real me, at least not entirely. It's... it's the _secrecy _that's killing me. Being a Guardian is the most important part of my life and I can count the number of people on Earth that know about it on both hands and still have fingers left over. That's six billion people who have no idea who I am."

"But Matt knows," Taranee urged. Matt had stumbled along their secret last winter and was very understanding about Will's responsibilities; the girls were pretty sure he was even more enamored of Will after he found out. What guy wouldn't want to date a superheroine? Especially one that morphed into a sixteen-year-old version of herself?

"But his parents don't. His friends don't. And they don't see what I work and sacrifice for and they think I'm just a lazy girl who, like Irma said, wants to latch onto a good-looking, talented guy." Will sprawled out on the couch and stared dejectedly at the sports scores onscreen.

Cornelia stroked Will's hair comfortingly. "This is really bothering you, isn't it?"

Irma took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "You'd think they'd have a manual or something for us. 'Guardians for Idiots: What Not To Do When Saving The World.'" Will smirked a little at that.

"Maybe you could talk to Grandma..." Hay Lin offered. It was what she did whenever she had a problem.

"I did." Will growled in frustration; Irma, not easily intimidated by anyone, actually snatched her hand back. "She told me to, 'Seek the opinions that truly matter.' Aarrgh! The opinions that matter think I'm a leech! I swear, Hay Lin, I think she enjoys yanking me around. No," she quickly amended, "I didn't mean that. I just need a straight answer for once, not on how to save the world, just..." Words failed her.

Words weren't necessary, though. Each of the other Guardians could feel her frustration in their hearts. It was one of the perks of Guardianship, ranking higher than even flying: you were never really alone. Will could feel their support in her "hearts" and for a moment they were still, almost in communion. Will broke the silence with a grateful smile. "Thanks, you guys. It's sort of funny; I spent all that time dreaming about Matt and not once did I stop to think about his family. At least his grandfather likes me."

"Maybe we should stop our practices altogether for a time," Cornelia suggested. "Surely we're good enough by now to take a break. You can take the time to soften up the parents and score some points while the rest of us cool it."

"And you make out with Caleb?" Irma said not-so-innocently. Cornelia went from stroking Will's mop-top to grabbing at Irma across their friend. Will laughed and pitched forward off the couch as Cornelia and Irma armed themselves with throw pillows and went to beating the crud out of each other with reckless abandon and shrieks. This was their usual way of dealing with arguments. Taranee and Hay Lin raised their weapons and picked a target; Hay Lin took Irma and Taranee, after setting her glasses aside, attacked Cornelia with unusual ferocity.

As Will grabbed a pillow and joined in, she seriously considered the possibility. Well, not Cornelia making out with Caleb; that was a given. But maybe all she needed was some time off. After all, it was summer vacation.

* * *

"But Grandpa, it's summer vacation!" Jake Long had protested. Whined, actually. Jake felt he could have been excused since traveling all the way across the country to train with some mystic in a city he'd not been to since he was six was a perfectly sound situation for some serious complaining. That, and his head was still pounding from the earful he'd gotten from a banshee on Broadway.

Lao Shi hadn't agreed. Surprise, surprise. "Jake, as the American Dragon you must always be training yourself to attain the next level. Yan Lin is one of the foremost experts in magic in this hemisphere; to be accepted as her apprentice is a great honor."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, Gramps, but why can't she come here? We could put her up at my house, or maybe the shop..."

"Jake, the shop is no place for someone of Yan Lin's stature!"

"She ain't that tall, G." Taller than Lao Shi, anyway.

Lao Shi had shook his head, not so much a negative response as an impatient one. "Jake, the student must make the journey to the teacher; that shows his commitment to his training. Plus, she has a business to run. It is only for a month, Jake; we cannot afford to be away from our territory for too long. Sun Park will watch over New York while we are away, but you must learn what you have to learn and quickly. Every magical creature in New York-and perhaps the world- depends on your abilities."

_No pressure, Gramps_. And that had been that. After a long flight and a frantic chase through the airport involving a certain Shar Pei and some hairless cat, they were off on a train ride to Heatherfield, the home of Yan Lin, the great and powerful. Jake was little bummed about being away from his "territory" and was actually worried about the creatures in his care. Still, he wasn't too down about heading to this particular city.

Jake had dim recollections of the prior visit some years ago when he was traveling with his grandfather. This was before Jake had learned of his dragon heritage and thought Grandpa was just a stoic old man. Gramps had later revealed that the whole trip was secret Dragon Council business, but all Jake remembered was his grandfather hamming it up with Mrs. Lin and talking about good ole days before running water and electricity.

Not that Jake hadn't enjoyed the trip himself. Heatherfield was a great place, close enough to New York City to make him feel comfortable yet different enough to be a new experience. But what really made the whole trip worthwhile was Yan Lin's granddaughter, Hay.

The first time he'd met her, she had come stumbling down the stairs of her family's restaurant with her girl friend, both of them dressed up like drag queens. They wore garishly bright boas (blue in Hay Lin's case; Jake could barely remember what her friend looked like), had red lips with way too much lipstick and shoes ten sizes bigger than their feet. Hay Lin's hair was done up in pigtails and when she smiled her she resembled a crazed clown. With horns.

Jake had been absolutely terrified of her. Grandpa had told him about it on the flight to LAX and laughed as he recalled Jake ducking behind him saying, "Don't let her get me, Grandpa! Please!"

Jake was pretty sure he didn't say, "Please!"

Later, when Hay Lin had washed the makeup off and dressed in her normal clothes, Jake had been a little more relaxed around her. Hay Lin had bombarded him with questions about New York, most of which he couldn't answer but she didn't care. And neither did he; there was something about that girl that attracted him to her. She was a ball of energy, even more so than most kids their age. She wasn't annoying but refreshing, like she was tapped into some power source and radiating it out to everyone like a sun.

The week they spend playing in the snow and sneaking around the restaurant was memorable in every sense of the word. Jake could still smell the food as he and Hay Lin snuck past the chefs to swipe fortune cookies. He could feel the cold wind as he single-handedly took on Hay and her tomboy-ish friend Irmie in a snowball fight (and single-handedly lost, too). He heard the crunch of snow as he chased her in a game of tag; she was so fast it was like chasing the wind. He could remember the warmth of her hand as she dragged her from adventure to adventure; those few moments when he held her hand he knew, just _knew_, that she was the girl he was going to marry.

Never mind he thought girls were disgusting creatures back then; Hay Lin was something more than a mere mortal in his eyes. Jake chalked this up to his imagination, not realizing he had imagined himself to be a dragon and flew around his parent's apartment breathing "fire" on several occasions when he was younger. He had eventually adopted a red dragon as his totem like primitive tribes had with animal spirits, adorning his skateboard and possessions with the symbol. He and Hay Lin had even pretended to be dragons themselves when they saw their breaths in the cold air. Jake had been a little irked when he realized that she could blow bigger "fire breaths" than he could. Pretty dang big ones, too.

And then the week was up. And Jake had been as strong as he could when Hay held onto him and cried as he prepared to leave. Jake had asked Grandpa if they could take her with them or leave him here; he had smiled sadly and said, "Her destiny lies here, Jake. Yours is with your family, in our city. But you will meet again, I'm sure of it."

Jake hadn't questioned his grandparent's wisdom then; it was the only comfort he could give Hay and himself. Too young to write, they had promised to think of each other often. As their taxi pulled away, Jake had seen her looking out of a window of the restaurant. He had waved; he hadn't seen her respond, but he knew she had.

Jake had kept the promise as best as he could over the years. It wasn't that hard; the days he'd spent with Hay Lin had been good, and he looked back on them whenever he had a need to think of better times. Then, as Jake began to realize he could track down Hay Lin and email her things happened that served to keep him distracted.

The most prominent event was discovering he was part-dragon and was able to shape-shift into an seven-foot-long winged, fire-breathing reptile after a little practice. This was kinda cool, actually.

The second thing he discovered was not so cool. He was the _American _Dragon, caps and all, appointed by a council he had never met to defend the magical creatures of New York City from evil forces; primarily from the Huntsclan, a group of supernatural hunters with a serious hate on against all magical beings.

A third event was Rose, a girl as different from Hay Lin as night was to day but shared something in common with her: they quickly became the focus of Jake's whole world. Unfortunately, Jake had discovered that Rose was the adopted daughter of the head of the Huntsclan and believed she was destined to kill a red dragon. This had not boded well for the relationship.

And yet somehow they managed, eventually joining forces to end the Huntsclan once and for all. Rose had even seen him off at the airport and planted a kiss on him so freaking sweet Jake had to be carted to his plane on their luggage. At least he could keep in contact with Rose at night with their dream charms. Of course, his lady had limited their visits during Jake's training so as to not tire him out. That had bummed Jake out a little, but it also felt good that Rose was thinking of him like that. It seemed, well, a serious and mature thing to do; this _did_ bode well for the relationship.

Jake was now beginning to feel his way into his role as the American Dragon; his record wasn't perfect but it was improving, having survived numerous encounters with the Huntsclan and a few close-ones with the even more dangerous Dark Dragon, the Darth Vader of his race.

Jake knew that it wasn't all him; his grandfather helped, of course, as did his friends Spud and Trixie once they discovered (and accepted) his secret. His mom and little sister gave what support they could (his dad, great guy and all, was in the dark about what kind of family he married into), and of course there was Fu Dog, who passed down his centuries of experience to Jake in dealing with the magical side of the world.

At the moment, though, Fu was dispensing complaints instead of wisdom. Jake sympathized with him; if he was stuck in an overhead compartment, he'd be complaining, too.

"This is outrageous!" Fu hissed through the plastic panels. "Someone call the Humane Society, I'm being abused here!"

Jake looked around the nearly empty train car to see if anyone else had heard. The closest person was six seats away and listening to an MP3 player. Jake sighed and lifted his eyes upward, both looking at where Fu was and beseeching a higher power to shut the six-hundred-year-old dog up. "Fu, keep it down!" he whispered sharply at the overhead. "We got another hour to go; try to take a nap or something."

"Take a nap? In this thing? I'll have more room in my _grave_ when it's my time! And this lame music is driving me nuts, it's gotta be against the Geneva Convention! Forget the Society, call the UN!" Fu was referring to the ambient music being piped in through overhead speakers; it sounded like elevator music but without the production values.

Jake looked over at his Gramps for help and saw that the older dragon was asleep. _Thanks, G. _It looked like Jake was going to have to deal with this on his own.

"McGruff giving you lip again?" asked a sharp feminine voice beside him. _Or not_.

Jake smiled as he looked across the aisle at his best friends in the world. Besides seeing Hay Lin again, one of the consolations was bringing Trixie and Spud along for the trip. Even if he got worked like a dog, he knew they'd drag him away when it was done. "Can't really blame him. This train line's real strict about pets..." A _harumph_ came from the overhead. "Got any ideas, Trix?"

Trix thought for a second. As a self-reliant urbanite girl with serious sarcasm skills, Trixie was one of the fastest thinkers Jake had ever met, maybe even faster than Jake himself. "Maybe he just needs some reading material. Spud, you got that reading light of yours still?"

If Trixie was yin fast, Spud was her yang slow. While Spud was his bro, Jake knew he wasn't the thinker of their group, despite his acing IQ tests left and right. Occasionally, though, the guy would stumble along something neither of the other two would have thought of; Spud's far out way of thinking was as much an asset as it was freaking hilarious. "Yeah, got it right here. But I don't use it for reading; I keep it in case of solar eclipse so I can find my face in an emergency." There you go; pure Spud. Spud handed the light to Jake.

Trixie was used to the Spud's weirdness by now and didn't bat an eye at the comment. "Jake, what's Fu dig on paper?"

"Well, gambling for one. He reads _SI _and _Wall Street_, too."

Trixie rummaged through a stack of magazines the train provided for commuters; Spud had snatched every book for several aisles for some reason Jake didn't know and probably wouldn't understand. Trix pulled out several _Sports Illustrateds_, a horse racing magazine, and a dog show serial that Jake snatched away and mouthed _no_. Trixie didn't need to know why and didn't _want_ to know.

She handed the magazines to Jake who opened the overhead and slid them and the light in. The light clicked on as Jake closed the compartment; a "Thanks, kids," came from the receptacle and the sound of flipping pages followed. Jake sat back down. "Thanks, Trix."

"No prob, Jay. So who's this other girl that's supposed to be taking lessons from Yawning?"

"Yan Lin, Trix. I don't know, to be honest. She comes from somewhere in Cali and is supposed to be big time important."

A sly look passed over Trixie's face. "More important than the Merican-Aay Ragon-Day?"

Jake crossed his arms defensively. "_Phff_, nawww! Well, maybe. Grandpa's being real tight on the lid about it. Now that I'm thinking, he hasn't told the real deal on Yan Lin. She's ninth degree powerful, but her hit list is blank to me."

'She ain't a... you know?"

"I don't think so."

"Hmmm. So no chance of you and this Hay Girl building a nest?"

"Say what! Whoa, now I... I mean... that ain't..." Jake sputtered. "We don't build nests; griffins build nests. And it ain't like that, we were kids..."

Trixie chuckled. "Chill, Jake, I'm just messin' wit you. You went on and on about this girl so much I can't believe you only knew her a week. You think she's still the same after all this time?"

Jake thought for a second. "I know it sounds whack, but yeah, I do. It's... just a feeling."

"Mmmhmmm," Trixie murmured. "You know, Jake, growing up in a restaurant surrounded by all them eats... girl's probably Goodyear size by now."

"So? Don't matter to me if she is. It ain't looks that made her so unreal."

Trixie nodded. "You passed the test, Mr. Long. Now I really want to meet this girl." Trixie was absentmindedly shuffling magazines in her hands when her eyes widened. "Hey Jake, check this." She handed him a tabloid that proclaimed itself to be "The World's Most Responsible Newspaper!" "Ain't that the place we're headed?"

Jake looked at the cover story. It showed artist's renditions of five women with fairy wings that were dressed in green-and-purple outfits. The headline read, "Heatherfield Fairies" and had the tagline "Coastal city visited by large pixies! Are they angels or demons?"

Jake flipped through the magazine until he came to the story. He read aloud to Trixie. "'According to local rumor, unusual events taking place in Heatherfield, U.S.A., are the work of fairy-like beings the size of teenage girls. These inexplicable events, which include sudden floods, seismic activity, strong winds, odd lights and strange creatures, are linked only by the large amounts of property damage done without any reasonable explanation. Eyewitness accounts describe five girls dressed in matching uniforms as being at the scenes of these disturbances.

"'Also sighted with these fairies are unusual creatures ranging from a small green monkey to a large man with a glowing mace and a rabid pit bull. At Heatherfield City Hall last year, extensive damage was done to the building by, supposedly, teenaged vandals who all claimed to have seen the monkey creature working with a large half-snake, half-man being. Though no photographic evidence has been provided, various descriptions from members of the community had given a workable face to this possible menace.

Jake looked at the drawings skeptically. "'The only report of the fairy-like beings assaulting anyone is the case of a anonymous teacher, who blacked out on the way to a student's house and woke up in his apartment with his clothes ripped and soaked with water. He describes being attacked by evil fairies who accused _him_ of being a monster. Though slightly shaken, he was not injured by the beings.

"'Several locals have surmised that the monstrous creatures and the fairies have an antagonistic relationship and the property damage is caused by battles between the two factions. The 'Tall Man' being was seen destroying numerous cars before heading into a local theater and disappearing into one of the 'lights' that have been sighted around the area. Some believe that the lights are portals to another dimension where evil beings attempt to invade Earth but are repulsed by the fairies. Also, the lights are known to disappear at varying times, perhaps because of some natural cycle or the fairies' powers..."

The rest of the article was a promise by the magazine to report on further information when discovered. Jake looked at Trixie and shrugged. "Fairies and pixies don't get that big; they get two feet maybe, but usually not human-sized. The snake guy may be a Naga or Nixx but they're not usually around this region. Maybe it's a joke?"

Trixie shrugged. "Maybe, but don't you think it's too big a coincidence all this is going down in Yawning's hometown? Uh, Yan Lin?" Best to get that down before she met the lady.

"Maybe. We'll ask Grandpa when he wakes up. Maybe there's community of m.c.'s living in Heatherfield that are acting up. In that case, the Am-Drag'll set them straight!" Jake nodded to his friends. "With a little help from his crew. You up for some action, Spudster?"

Spud looked out the window with a worried expression. "I hope the sun doesn't go out before I get it back. What if my nose gets clogged and I can't see it? If I sneeze I might knock something out of alignment." He paused as he listened to the music being piped in through the speaker next to them. "If elevator music plays on a train, does that make it train music, or is the train a long and fast side-ways elevator? _Wild_."

Jake and Trixie didn't know what to say to that. With Spud, no answer was sometimes the best one.

* * *

With Ray Ray Lee, usually the best answer was a negative one. "No, Ray Ray, I will not hang you out the window."

"Aw, come on, June," Ray Ray begged. Changing his voice from Begging to Slow Pleading , he assured her that, "I'd do it for you-oooh." The _oooh_ part was stretched out like a mantra to charm his older sister into doing his bidding.

Juniper Kim Lee fixed her little brother with a _I-Bet-You-Would_ stare. "Ray Ray, knock it off. The train's an hour from Heatherfield and I'd like to be ready and alert when we get there. The whole area is a focal point for extradimensional energies and elemental forces."

"Yeah, I know, but what does that _mean_?"

Truth be told, June didn't know exactly what it meant either; that was what Ah-Mah had said before they left. "It means, let me rest. If something pops into our plane of existence, I need to be able to pop it _back_."

Ray Ray sat down in his seat and pouted. "Come on, June, I've seen you fight monsters half-awake and sick as a dog..."

"I hate that saying," a Scottish-accented voice said from their overhead compartment. "Dogs are very clean creatures, you know. Cats, now there's a cesspool on four legs for ya."

June smirked. "This from a guy who runs when it's bath-time. Monroe, you are such a hypocrite."

Monroe, June's talking dog that had been in her family for generations, snorted in his traveling case. To anyone but June and Ray Ray, it would have sounded like a _yip_. "If you didn't scrub like a mad woman with that blasted brush... are ye trying to skin me, lass?"

"Oh, darn, you figured me out. I don't force you to take baths to keep fleas and ticks from making you sick; I do it to _torture_ you. Curses."

"Very funny, Juniper. Don't be surprised if the water's a little warm next time, eh?"

"Do it and I _will_ skin ya," June threatened him, bopping her fist lightly against the compartment. She didn't believe him for a second, of course. Monroe was like a grouchy but good-hearted uncle to her; he'd been with her since she was a baby and June could never tell the dog how much she cared for him. It would be too weird for both of them.

"June..." Ray Ray had switched back to his Begging voice. "Please? You're the Te Xuan Ze, the strongest magical hero in the whole _world_. You're like Superman but... shorter. And prettier; did I mention pretty? Prettier than Wonder Woman!"

June rolled her eyes as she fingered the magenta streak that started at her left temple and ran to the tips of her waist-length hair. Ray Ray was into his Compliment Phase; next would come the Bitter Recrimination Phase followed shortly by the Righteous Sulking Phase. Not if she cut him off at the pass. "Ray Ray, you remember last week when we got caught in the hairs of that Arakian Sandworm?"

"Yeah. So?"

"Take away the sand, and that's what it would be like to stick your head out of the train."

"...oh. Well, it was okay but..." Ray wiggled his hand back and forth, the signal for _so-so_. Only Ray Ray could rate being dragged several miles by a giant worm bigger than the train they were riding in as a mediocre experience. "Geez, now I'm _really_ bored."

June sighed. _You really_ can't_ win'em all_. "Ah-Mah, did we have to bring Ray Ray? I thought I needed to be able to concentrate while Yan Lin is teaching me?"

June's grandmother Jasmine looked at her from across the row. She was reading a book entitled Monsters And Humanoids; to anyone else the magazine would have looked like Home and Gardens. "You worry too much, June. In Heatherfield there'll be plenty of things to distract him. Besides, the boy couldn't live without you. Right, Ray Ray?"

Ray Ray was now occupied with trying to open the window and barely heard his Ah-Mah. "Huh? Oh, yeah-yeah-she's-the-wind-beneath-my-toes-you-rock-June," he murmured distractedly.

June looked at Ah-Mah with a sardonic expression. "We're joined at the hip."

Ah-Mah shrugged. "You'll understand one day, Juney."

June leaned back in her seat and gazed at the roof of the train. "Haven't heard that one before, Ah-Mah. At least Dennis isn't here; I'd probably throw him off the train."

Juniper Lee was not your average eleven-year-old girl with annoying brothers on both ends of her family tree branch. Most families have traditions that are passed down from generation to generation; Saturday fishing trips, embarrassing family pictures, allergies, you know the drill. In June's family line, there was a tradition that was passed to one member of each generation. It wasn't voluntary, since few people would have volunteered to be the Te Xuan Ze, defender of the world from supernatural threats.

June certainly wouldn't have. But thanks to a twist of fate, she was the one picked to do the job. She wasn't happy about this at first but as time passed (and she temped her duties to a saccharine-sweet witch that nearly destroyed her hometown of Orchid Bay City) she began to realize that she kinda dug the responsibility. Like when you got your first pet and realized that it relied on you to feed it and keep it safe and you felt good knowing you were, well, the Man. Metaphorically speaking.

Granted, June had more than one pet to worry about. Ever since the world of magic had separated from the world of humans, the Te Xuan Ze had acted as the den mother (or father) for the entire magical underground by solving disputes, banishing dangerous monsters and demons and preserving the secrecy of its existence. It helped that most of it was based around her hometown, and that most magical creatures were invisible to the general populace. There were holdouts but usually they stayed hidden in places where they could blend in, like New York or Las Vegas.

It was rough on her social life, but she still had loyal friends who had come to accept her unexplained absences as best they could. Even so, telling them that she was leaving for a month on vacation hadn't been easy. June remembered the conversation all too clearly.

_"An entire _month_?" Jody had said. The perpetually perky blonde had been devastated by the announcement. "But June, we have so many plans! The water park, the movies, the miniature golf..."_

_"Run, June," Ophelia had warned in her usual deadpan voice. "Run as fast as you can." The counter-culture diva had been flipping through a tattoo magazine, apparently unconcerned. June had been glad that one of her friends was taking it well. If Ophelia actually would miss her, she would never have said so anyway. It wouldn't have been _Ophelia.

_Roger, their male ambassador, had been the hardest hit. "Nooooooo! Don't go, June! No-ho-ho!" Alright, so he wasn't the best representative of his gender; he was still her friend. His sudden depression may have been the result of him being the only one left while the girls went on their various vacations._

_"Guys," June had said, "I don't want to leave you but this is Ah-Mah Time. It's a family thing and a cultural thing." _Not to mention a save-the-world thing_. "If I could, I'd take you all with me, but the Lins don't have that much room. This is... it's hard to explain, but it's like learning to read the Torah, Jody. It's something I want to do, for my family." _And you and everybody else I have to protect_. "Besides, you've got your own trips to go on; a few weeks and you guys won't even notice I'm gone. I'll call every day, I promise. Hey, at least you'll have Lila here. Take care of her for me, alright?"_

_The magically disguised Bigfoot girl smiled at the thought that she needed any protecting, but decided to go along with June's ploy. "She's right, you guys. We'll be fine until June gets back. Now, who wants a pine-needle pedicure?"_

They had eventually relented but refused to let her go without a fuss. One all-night movie marathon and enough junk food to feed an enlarged Rakatan was their parting gift. Bleary-eyed and sugar-buzzed, they had seen her off at the bus stop the next day; June, with her sentimental old soul, had been hard put not to bawl as she hugged Jody, who was bawling enough for both of them, and Ophelia, who didn't cry but gave her advice about not drinking tap water in big cities.

June had accepted it for what it was and shook Roger off her leg as gently as she could before boarding the Greyhound. She was relieved when the girls held him back from chasing the bus and possibly running into a telephone pole while waving at her. It wouldn't have been the first time; Roger's eyeglass prescription needed serious updating.

In the last two days she had called her parents on schedule and texted her friends some of Ray Ray's antics. To pass the time on their final leg of the journey June sat back in her chair and practiced her meditative state until she felt a rush of air blow across her face. At first she thought she had transcended her body to reach a higher level of consciousness; this was dispelled when she heard Ray Ray shout, "Ready... Aim... Fire! Hawwwkiikkk!" Not what you would expect to hear in Nirvana. She opened her eyes just as Ray Ray hawked a loogie out the open window. He was also hanging half out of the train and wiggling precariously.

"Ray Ray!" Honestly, it was like the boy had a death wish. Reaching around his flailing feet, June yanked him back in and closed the window. "Are you insane! You could have fallen out!"

Ray Ray was giggling like crazy. "Did you see how fast it went? It was like a bullet!"

"If you ever do that again, we'll see how fast _you_ go!" June thought she heard Ah-Mah chuckle behind her. "What's so funny?"

Ah-Mah smiled at her in that way that made her look infinitely wise. "You are going to make a wonderful mother, Juniper."

June blanched at the thought of having a kid, more specifically one like Ray Ray. _Note to self:_ _get tubes tied_. Surely one of her brothers could continue the family line. There were a lot of desperate women out there.

On second thought, there was no way she was going to leave the fate of the world up to a Te Xuan Ze descended from Dennis or Ray Ray. June smirked as she thought of her crush Marcus; now _there_ was good genetic material. A small voice inside her said_ You are way too young to think about having kids_. True, but it never hurt to plan ahead.

* * *

For the last twenty years he had been planning ahead, juggling multiple schemes and ploys to amass an empire for the singular purpose of domination: domination of the world, domination of his rival, and domination of the heart of the woman he loved. Not necessarily in that order. Ever since Jack "The Fool" Fenton had fired a prototype ghost portal in his face, Vlad Master, aka Vlad Plasmius, had found himself in a position of loneliness and bitter regret, forever set apart from the world and happiness. It tended to make one... anti-social.

It had taken two decades for him to be in position for him to begin to set his master plan in motion and even then there were obstacles that delayed him further, demanding more time to be dealt with. But if there was one thing Vlad Masters, the self-made billionaire and most powerful half-ghost, half-human in existence had, it was time. And _lots_ of money to make things go faster when necessary.

What he didn't have was a certain item that would significantly cut down the countdown toward world domination. Deep within a secret laboratory he conducted experiments, ran figures, plotted hostile takeovers, and probed the depths of the universe in ways that could be charitably called "unnatural" and would most likely warrant "unholy."

He was doing all these for one singular purpose: to pass the time.

The item he so desperately needed was in fact coming closer to him every second; he just needed to wait for it to arrive. The problem was that Vlad Masters was never particularly good at waiting; thus he tried to fill his time with productive diversions to further his power and influence. Of course, even the head of a multinational corporation only has so much he can do on a daily basis. Even his ghost-related activities could only distract him so long; too many of his plans required waiting.

Plus, the Packers game wouldn't kick off til three-fifteen. _Sigh_. He really needed a hobby. Well, besides hating Jack Fenton. Maybe one of those internet role-playing games that were all the rage?

Vlad snorted as he continued defying the laws of man and nature. Like he had that much time to kill on a foolish game.

* * *

Life itself was a game. Chess, more specifically.

The man known only as Enoch moved a pawn into position to take his opponent's bishop as his subordinate reported over the limo's speaker phone. "The shipment is due to arrive in two days at the convention center. It is under heavy guard by its owner's security forces and will be the most vulnerable at the convention itself."

"Then that is where we will strike," Enoch said, the heavy gauntlet of his armor not impeding his battle on the board; he'd worn the attire of a Forever Knight so long the gold mask was more his face than the one that reminded him of his father. It was... pure, in a way, to shape the face that others see you as instead of the often incorrect mechanics of genetics and time. Beauty, and many other things, were only skin-deep. "We are divided and weak because of the Tennysons' interference. The item will give us a solid power base from which to grow. Though we may falter, we are forever; we will always begin anew."

* * *

BEGINNING FINAL REPAIR ROUTINE... OPERATING SYSTEM REBOOT IN 3... 2... 1...

In a gorge near Mount Rushmore a twisted hunk of metallic compounds and and high-density plastics shuddered as something moved within. The "egg" was at one time part of the flagship of the alien warlord Vilgax and was thrown clear upon the destruction of the vessel. Once a room the size of a tennis court, it was a loading bay where Locate And Terminate drones were stored until needed. Most were destroyed in the explosion (or earlier by the Tennyson family) but one unit was protected by the molten slag that used to be its peers and spared significant damage.

With a horrible screech of super-heated metal, the cocoon was ripped apart by the sheer strength of the LAT drone as it rose to its full twenty five-foot height. Rusty red as old blood and cylindrical in shape, it was a horrifying visage made worse by the superficial yet extensive damage to its exterior, The partially melted metal and the gouges in the exoskeleton made it look like the reanimated corpse that it was.

It's systems scanned the surrounding area and located nothing except a camp ground with approximately 30.45 individuals going happily about their business. No compatible ("friendly" wasn't something it could process) forces were detected, so it fell back on the line command that had been entered in all the drones after the loss of the Omnitrix. Simply put: FIND THE OMNITRIX. A scan was initiated and... successful; the device had been activated mere seconds before.

Drawing its three legs up into its chassis (one of which got stuck halfway and hung there limply) the LAT raised its gravity compensators that kept its massive bulk mobile to near weightlessness and ignited its thrusters. Within seconds it was launching toward the upper atmosphere for a long flight toward its destination. It would need to recharge en route and lengthen its travel time as a result, but impatience was, of course, not in its code.

* * *

He always was impatient. Whether it was trying to unlock the mysteries of magic (in retrospect, and considering the scar that ran over his eye, not a particularly good combination) or reminding people for the upteemth time that he was _not _Lex Luthor (the nickname of Lex had stuck, anyway), the leader of the Humans for the Abolishment of Magic (H.A.M.) was not a man to be kept waiting. Especially not when the keys to restoring his organization to prominence was almost in the palms of his mismatched hands.

And _especially_ not by lackeys who used the bathroom one too many times during a roadtrip. Lex was about to start yelling when the last two members of his troop ran out of the gas station's bathroom and made for the three minivans the H.A.M. members were using to cross the country (an expensive bus charter was out of the question and two of the vans were borrowed). "About time! Be late again and you're walking back!"

If his two cronies were cowed by this declaration he couldn't tell through the goggle-eyes of their helmet. The thick brown armor H.A.M. tended to hide the humanity of their wearers even as the red crystals embedded in their chest-plates revealed the existence of the magical world that most of humanity was completely ignorant. The suits made them stronger, faster, more powerful than most magical beasts.

But not (and it tore him up to admit this even to himself) an eleven year-old-girl and her talking dog. When he was a kid he had always felt bad for the wicked witch of the west in the _Wizard of Oz_ as she melted; after having his headquarters demolished by the Te Xuan Ze and her magical cohorts his sympathy had multiplied.

It was by mere luck he'd gotten word of a powerful magical artifact that would be arriving in Heatherfield tomorrow and H.A.M. (he made a mental note to change the name; how had he not noticed how lame the acronym sounded?) was on its last leg of their journey to the small city. As the minivans pulled out of the gas station with mechanical precision, Lex smiled menacingly as his twisted mind began to concoct insidious revenge against Juniper Lee.

A tap on his shoulder made him turn and stare into the face of one of his subordinates. Somehow by looking into those bug-eyed goggles he knew exactly what the man was wanting.

Lex growled. "Hold it! And if you don't, you're paying me back the security deposit!"

* * *

"Man, we are going to get some serious payback on that american dragon! I'm gonna be like, Bam! And, Whoo-Hah! And he's going to be like, 'Oh, please don't hurt me, 88, please!' I'm gonna be like, 'Aw, HAIL no, punk! Prepare to be slayed, son! 'Cause we got'... what we gonna get again, 89?"

"Plasma weapons," Huntsboy 89 said as he concentrated on flying their Huntsclan hovercraft towards Heatherfield. "FentonWorks has all kinds of 'em for hunting ghosts. We need even more firepower if we're going to start our own Huntsclan. Plus, the expo's going to have all kinds of stuff we can take!"

Huntsboy 88 punched the palm of his hand as he grinned. "Yeah, man, then it's on! We gonna start tonight?"

89 shook his head. "Not all of the stuff has arrived yet, so we gotta wait a day or two. Besides, I'm beat from this trip. Let's spend some time chilling until everything's set. I hear they have some great restaurants there. Sushi, Thai, Chinese..."

88 sniffed loudly. "Man, I ain't a race-hata or anything, but every time I think of 'Chinese' I see that dragon and his crew kicking our butts. Discouragin', really."

89 smiled, his buck-teeth gleaming wickedly. "Trust me, after we blast the dragons into atoms we'll celebrate with a huge buffet at the closest place that has fortune cookies."

"Yeah, awright! That's what I'm talking about!" 88 pumped his fist in the air and gave a "Whoo! Whoo!" only to hit the ejector seat switch and catapulted the two supernatural hunters' seats out of the vehicle. "Uh, my bad!" He looked down at the ground that was rising rapidly towards them. "Don't we have parachutes n these things?"

89 glared at his only friend in the world. "We did... but we used them up the last time you did this! But don't worry, I just activated the hovercraft's auto-pilot to swoop in and save us."

"Cool! I see it coming back now!" Sure enough, the vessel was heading back toward its former occupants with great speed. G_reat _speed. "Uh, 89, it's heading right at us."

"Duh, that's 'cause..."

"No, I mean _it's headed right for us_!"

"Oh... oh!" 89 began pressing buttons on his ejector seat wildly. "I... think... I..."

'We're going to die!" 88 shrieked. "We're going to di-ai-aiiiii!"

Proving that something does look after idiots, 89 managed to hit the right combination of buttons and the hovercraft activated their seats' thrusters and the two ejectees were maneuvered back into the craft. The youngsters deflated in relief and gave weak chuckles at their near escape. "Man, I thought that was it! Somebody up there..."

CRASH! The hovercraft slammed into a mountain peak, causing airbags adorned with the red "H" of the Huntsclan to deploy inside the cockpit. "...hates us."

* * *

Author's Note: I ain't going to lie to ya: it's going to be some time before we see some fightin'. Hopefully my wit will keep you entertained til then. Yeah, I'm nervous, too. I'm going to start a forum for NTY in the Cartoon Crossover category, so be sure to check that out.

**Episode References**: These sections will point out gags and back-stories that come from the various series. Basically, they're descriptive disclaimers that let's you know how much I've pilfered. I won't list every reference because that would take forever, but every time the characters reminisce about a prior event that's most likely coming from their shows. Much love to Wikipedia for the reference info.

W.I.T.C.H.'s infiltration of the Cavigor prison was in the episode (fittingly named) "The Escape from Cavigor" and their Halloween "skit" was in the Season Two episode "W is for Witch". "The Star of Threbe" and "A Service to the Community" are also mentioned by Will. The Guardians trashed City Hall in the episode, "Happy Birthday, Will."

Will's poster of Danny is the last shot of the _Danny Phantom_ title sequence right when the theme song finishes.

Ben and family learned the name of the Omnitrix in the episode, "Hunted." The LAT is my name for the robot featured in the first episode, "And Then There Were 10."

The dream charms are used in several episodes of Season 2 of "American Dragon: Jake Long."

H.A.M. lost a big battle with June and co. in the episode, "A Helping H.A.M.", placing them in dire (financial) straits.

**Trivia**: Just little things I also can't take credit for.

The "disturbing lack of faith" is from Star Wars: A New Hope and is voiced by Darth Vader as he chokes a subordinate, kinda like Jazz wanted to choke Danny.

The Arakian sand worm is an homage to the iconic worms of Dune. I don't really like Dune, but I dig giant worms. No pun intended.

The "government experiments" theory in the W.I.T.C.H. section is based on the Maximum Ride novels about genetically altered teenagers with feathered wings.

Who hates 88 and 89 enough to ram them into a mountain? (Raises hand.) Oh, c'mon, if anyone deserves it...


	2. Destinies Collide and Pets Get Swapped

Disclaimer: This a non-profit work that takes the characters and premises from several animated television series that I do not own the rights to. I'm not getting paid anything except some wish fulfillment in teaming up my favorite cartoon characters with each other. Keep the lawyers on the leashes, y'all.

Author's Note: First off, thanks to my reviewers, precious few you are:(

For you, I post again!

We won't see any action for a chapter or two or three... but when it gets here it'll be hot! Besides, the best part of any crossover is seeing the characters meeting and greeting, in my opinion.

* * *

Chapter Two: Destinies Collide and Pets Get Swapped

* * *

"Everyone stay together!" 

"There's so many of 'em! Where the heck did they come from?!"

"Where did _we _come from? Why are we here? Do we have a purpose?"

"Spud, the only purpose we got is to survive this!"

"That's it! Get me out of this thing!"

"Fu! Hush, man, they'll hear you!"

"Kid, I doubt they'll notice me screaming when they crush us underfoot!"

"Stay with me, young ones! I see the path we must travel through the onslaught!"

"But is it the path we were meant to travel, or the one we _choose_ to travel?"

"Spudinski, if one more Zen-fortune-cookie line comes out of your mouth, I'll smack you so hard Confuscious'll feel it!"

"Focus, guys, this is gonna be tight!" Jake narrowed his eyes as he sighted the opening. "On my signal... _go_!"

The crowd parted like a gaping maw and the band of warriors plunged into their midst. They were a mixed bunch of assailants with one goal in mind: to get off the train.

Decieved by the emptiness of their car, Jake and crew had been unpleasantly surprised to find a crowd of people between them and the exits. They had rode the current of humanity until they spilled out onto the platform where the disembarking and embarking passengers had collided into a mosh pit of activity. With people dashing in between them and bumping them out of the way, someone not used to these crowds would have been separated from their party in seconds.

Fortunately, they were New Yorkers, a proud race of people who navigated crowds like salmon swam up stream (though not necessarily for the same purpose.) With Jake in the lead, they formed a chain of visual contact where one person kept sight of another as they pushed into the masses with purpose, tenacity, and a few muttered curses. In Trixie's case, quite a few muttered curses and a few shouted out loud, again in the proud New Yorker tradition.

Several cars down, Juniper, Ray Ray, and their Ah-Mah were having a great deal more trouble. The young ones had been raised in the spacious hills of Orchid Bay City and weren't used to the destruction derby they were now facing. And though Jasmine Lee was a world traveler still, she wasn't as agile as she used to be and a burly man dressed as a biker bumped into her, nearly knocking her down.

June was about to take his knees out from under him before her Ah-Mah stopped her with a restraining hand. "Just get us to safety, June; karma will take care of him soon enough."

June didn't want to wait for karma to put the hurt on him but relented for her grandmother's sake. "You two, behind me. Ray Ray, take Munroe. I'm clearing us a path." After handing the dog carrier to her brother, June picked up her bags and began to march toward the one clear area on the platform. Though she didn't knock anyone aside, those that brushed up against her found her as solid as a four-foot-tall brick wall.

Ah-Mah and Ray Ray trailed in her wake until they reached the edge of the crowd. June dropped her bags as she looked at the buildings in the distance and shook her head. "Heatherfield: great place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit." Actually, June didn't mean that in the slightest. Until recently she hadn't been able to leave her hometown because of her duties as the Te Xuan Ze, trapped inside a magical force field that kept only her inside the city limits. She was thankful to be taking a trip _anywhere_ and looked forward to seeing the people that had made it possible. _But talk about busy_...

Ah-Mah wiped her forehead with a towelette and sighed. "I forgot how insane the tourist season gets here. Yan must be raking it in at the _Silver Dragon_. Whew! I need a cold drink, kids. Do you want one?" They shook their heads. "You two stay here; I'll be back." Ah-Mah went off to look for a soda machine and, just maybe, a certain biker she wanted to meet out of view of the kids.

June reached into her carry-on bag and pulled out her shades. The sun was bright, but it wasn't as warm as Orchid Bay was this time of year and June's usual wardrobe of jeans and her favorite green shirt was comfortable enough. She had assessed Ray Ray to see if the heat was bothering him before she realized how maternal the action was. She winced both from the thought and the sight of her shirtless brother stretched out on their luggage like a sunbather.

"Ray Ray, what are you doing?" she asked as calmly as she could, the exasperation in her voice a familiar tune as she glared at him over the tops of her shades.

"Just chillin'. It's hot as a mug today."

"Ray Ray, put your shirt back on before you get arrested."

"Oh, come on, June, it's summertime. Gotta let it hang out." Ray Ray patted his stomach and grinned.

"And over. Either put it on now, or I _help_ you put it on." The way June said "help" implied a rather rough version of aid with Ray Ray's head stuck through an arm hole.

"Alright, alright! Geez, who died and made you 'Mom'?" Satisfied that Ray Ray was cooperating for the moment, June suddenly felt something move deep within her as her eyes swept over the crowd. At first she thought that it was an instinct warning her of nefarious dealings. On closer examination, she found it was a more mundane urging: she had to pee.

She had to pee _bad_.

Knees knocking together slightly, June looked around for her grandmother, but Ah-Mah was nowhere in sight. The Te Xuan Ze, who could formulate a plan of attack while dodging the claws of bus-sized monsters, froze when she tried to think of what to do about nature's insistent call. Their clothes and magical instruments and materials were in their luggage and she couldn't leave just lying there unattended. And she couldn't leave Ray Ray alone with them either; savvy as he acted, he was only eight years old. June groaned pitifully as she continued searching for Ah-Mah.

Jake and the others finally broke free of the rush and made their way to where June and Ray Ray were waiting. Dropping their luggage next to the Lees, the New Yorkers seemed none the worse for their trek through the crowds, though Trixie looked ready to maul the next person that bumped into her. Jake sat Fu's carrier next to Monroe's, which happened to be nearly identical, right down the "J.L." initials above the door. Popping his back, Jake groaned as his body woke up from the long trip. "Mannnnnn. And here I remember this place being _calmer_ than the Burg."

Lao Shi sat on his luggage, slightly out of breath but trying not to show it. It wouldn't be very Zen or sage-like to pant like Fu Dog chasing after a poodle. "It is unfortunate that we were forced to come here during tourist season. I hope this will not deter your studies, young dragon."

Jake shrugged. "Hey, if it's like this all over the city, I'll never leave the restaurant." Unless Hay wanted to take him somewhere, of course.

June, still looking for her grandmother, turned and saw Lao Shi and the teens. To her it looked exactly like what it was: an older man traveling with his grandson and his friends. Deciding to take a chance that these people wouldn't steal their belongings, June asked Lao Shi, "Sir?" The New Yorkers turned to look at her. "May I ask a favor? Could you watch our bags while I go to the restroom? It's... sort of an emergency." It was a Defcon-five red alert emergency, to be accurate.

Lao Shi smiled benevolently. "Of course, young lady. Trixie, would you accompany her so that she will know that we will not move from this spot?"

"Sure, Mr. L.," Trixie agreed, her fury at the crowd abating now that a sister was in need. "I need to fix myself up, anyway."

"Jake and Spud will watch your belongings, my dear. Take your time," Lao Shi assured her. "We are in no rush."

Juniper sighed in relief. "Thank you! I won't be long." June grabbed Ray Ray and literally dragged him with her, Trixie following in their wake.

Jake and Spud took up position in front of the Lees' bags. "Do we really have time for this, Gramps?" Jake asked.

"We are in no hurry at the moment, Jake. Yan Lin will likely not begin her lessons today, what with the rush. For that matter, I doubt we'll be able to get a cab anytime soon ourselves. Best to help when we can; karma always comes back to those who aid others."

"Yeah, you're right." Jake agreed. "Man, I'm going to sleep good tonight."

"Just make sure you're asleep before bed-time, Mister," Spud ordered. "Don't make me use the chloroform!"

"Pffft, I ain't got no bedtime, dude," Jake stated brusquely.

"Yeah, you do! Ten-thirty eastern standard time."

"What?! How..."

"Haylie told us. She also said that you sleep with a stuffed dragon?"

"Wha... he... ah... It's only there because of my mom! You know, empty nest and all that, ha ha... ha." Jake looked nauseous. "We never speak of this again, clear?"

"Clear. I mean, I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about-dude."

"Good man, Spud."

"It's such a cute little dragon, though, with its little wings, and the stuffed flame that comes out of its mouth, awwwww..."

"Spud!"

* * *

The Heatherfield Convention Center was abuzz with activity when the Fentons' RV pulled into the parking lot. The kids were impressed at the size of the sign that hung across the building; GESTARD INDUSTRIES PARANORMAL EXPO was splashed in red letters across the white banner and reminded hospital-phobic Tucker of a Red Cross sign. After several minutes of careful maneuvering and muttering vague threats involving ectoplasmic explosions, Jack parked near a side entrance with a triumphant "Aha! Take that, you parking-space stealers!" 

No one had the heart to tell him that he had parked in a reserved space provided for those participating in the convention. It would have been like kicking a puppy. A extra-large two-hundred and seventy-five pound puppy wearing orange-glo spandex.

Several buses and other large vehicles were being unloaded by white-coated individuals carrying exotic-looking machines, making it look a lot like the mad scientist convention it kinda was. These peers of Mr. and Mrs. Fentons ranged from college-aged students to crazy-haired professors; with the inside of the center currently closed off to the public Danny, Jazz, Sam, and Tuck were apparently the youngest people in the building.

As such, Jazz delayed Danny's murder for a couple of hours so as to not embarrass her parents; she still punched Danny in the shoulder and was gratified to see him rub the spot with a scowl on his face. The psychologist in her labeled it a "physical reinforcement of established boundaries." Danny called it a "cheap shot."

In a display of the mechanical genius he occasionally showed, Jack had constructed a Fenton Insta-Booth_™_ that folded out from a package the size of a footlocker to a fifteen-by-thirty foot rubber recreation of the FentonWorks building that the titular family lived in. Compared to the spartan booths already completed it was certainly an eye-catcher (and possibly an eye-sore, depending on one's opinion). It had taken a little less than twenty minutes of work to set it up and fill it with the Fentons' ghost-fighting equipment and an extra four minutes to untangle Jack from the wires strewn all over the structure.

"Mmmwhawha...whew! Thanks, kids." Jack said when Sam removed the power cable from his mouth. "Prototypes always have so many darn wires at first..."

"No problem, Mr. Fenton," Sam said as she wiped the cable with a disinfectant cloth. "Thanks for letting me and Tuck come along, by the way. We know it's sort of a family deal..."

"Nonsense! You two are Honorary Fentons! Besides, I never say no to cheap labor!" Everyone chuckled. "Which reminds me... we haven't had lunch yet, and Heatherfield has some great places to eat. I'll start paying you guys off by treating you to some grub!"

"Oh! Remember, Jack," Maddie said casually as she aligned the sights on a Fenton Ectoplasmic Bazooka. "Susan agreed to meet us at this restaurant downtown. I completely forgot about it." She shook her head. "Once I start packing plasma weaponry I just get so caught up in it... well, I suppose that's a good thing." She put the weapon on "safety" before placing it back in its container, in case Jack tried to play, er, _operate_ it later.

Jack crinkled his brow in thought. "Susan... Susan... wasn't that that girl from college? The one who smoked weed and walked around topless?"

Maddie rolled her eyes. "No, Jack, that was Susan Mannigan. This is Susan _Vandom_, the business major?" Jack's face still looked blank. "That didn't smoke and wore a shirt?"

Jack's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah, I remember now! She was hot!" Maddie slapped him on the arm playfully. "Yeow! Still jealous, eh, Maddie?"

"In your dreams, Jackie Boy. Not that I don't remember you gawking at her the first time you saw her." She slapped him again. "And the second." Another slap. "And the third..." And another.

"Mom!" Jazz threw himself between her parents. "Stop hitting Dad! You know how sensitive he is. You might affect his emotional development!" Jazz still held out hope that her father could mature into a responsible adult one day; it was the probably the closest thing she had to having a flight of fancy.

Jack shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I can't blame her, princess. I did entertain a little crush on Sue before we hooked up."

Maddie stopped trying to reach around her daughter and smirked. "Yeah, until he scared her off with his ghost talk. Gosh, I haven't seen Susan since after her divorce. Do you kids remember her?" she asked her children.

Danny shrugged and shook his head, but Jazz nodded. "Yeah, I do. She stayed with us that weekend while her house was being sold. She had a kid about Danny's age... Wilma. I remember because she had red hair like the _Flintstones_ character." She chuckled. "She followed Danny all over the place, drove him nuts. I think she had a kiddie crush on him or something."

Danny huffed. "Great, I was in the prime of my lovelife when I was barely potty-trained. I think I'm going to go jump off that bridge we saw." Never mind that he could fly, it was the thought that counted.

"I remember little Will!" Jack said. "I used to give her piggyback rides. Oh, she was a cute little thing! Er, unfortunately, I didn't realize that she was a girl until _after_ they left." The nutty inventor scratched the back of his head. "Kind of embarrassing..."

"Well, Jack, I don't see how you couldn't have known: Will and Danny took baths together the entire time they were there!"

Sam and Tucker snorted with laughter. Danny glared at them. "What? I don't even remember this!"

Tuck grinned at his bud as he finished connecting the equipment to the Pear laptop that would be coordinating the FentonWorks displays. "You know, Danny, past history is always big bonus points in the Game of Love. Maybe she's a bonfide red-hot hottie by now!"

Sam fixed the techno-geek with a withering stare. "Or maybe she has a nice personality. Stick to the electronics, Foley; you're not qualified to give Danny advice about women."

Tucker raised an eyebrow in an offended gesture. "Sorr-rreeee! I forgot that you're the expert on relationships. It should have been obvious from _all_ the dates you've had." Sam glared at him and began flexing her fingers in preparation for an assault charge.

Proving how heroic he really was, Danny stepped in front of the seething Sam and shielded Tucker from her Gothic wrath. "Hey, take it easy, you guys. You're just a little tired and a little hungry, that's all. You don't want to gouge each other's eyes for real, right?" If Sam did, he knew she'd have no qualms about going through him first.

"Well, I did paint my nails this morning," Sam said, inspecting her black cuticles thoughtfully.

"And I'm allergic to eye-gouging," Tucker agreed, then winked at Danny. "Besides, an argument would ruin the fun we're going to have meeting Danny's first girlfriend."

Danny was the one glaring now, but his expression slowly turned devious. "Talk all you like, Tuck, but I still got more miles than you when comes to dating." They were miles of rough road strewn with sharp rocks, but still... "And the PDA doesn't count."

Tucker gasped and held his beloved Personal Digital Assistant to him protectively. "Don't listen, baby; they don't understand what we have together."

Danny and Sam said, "Thank god for that." Then they looked at each other and said, "Ugh! Get out of my brain!" The other Fentons, Actual and Honorary, laughed so loudly every head in the convention hall turned to stare at the rubber building.

* * *

"So, when's our next practice going to be?" Irma asked Will as they walked downtown. Caught up in the dramas of Will's love life and possible exposure, they had completely forgotten about lunch until they were six blocks away from the apartment. Since they were heading to Hay Lin's family-owned restaurant anyway, they decided to eat there while they talked to Yan Lin about some downtime. The request would be probably be accepted if they were complimenting her cooking. "Our last was Wednesday, so... maybe tomorrow?" 

Will shrugged. "Sounds good. What about you guys?" Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin all agreed. "And we'll do it in Meridian, at least until we're out of danger of being immortalized as plushies." The others laughed at this. "Oh, think I should tell you guys; since my mom's meeting some friends at the restaurant I may have to be all polite and stuff and eat with them. Sorry."

Irma grinned and poked Will in the arm. "'Absence makes the heart grow fonder', babe. Besides, I think we can live without our fearless leader for a few minutes. Er, now that I think about it, I can't stay too long myself; I have to babysit Chris this afternoon. In the case the worst happens, I want to say I love you all very much."

"Don't talk like that, Irma!" Hay Lin warned. "It's creepy." It went against Hay Lin's Rules Of Catchphrases to say ominous things like that.

Cornelia groaned. "You know what's creepy? Lilian and several of her friends over for a slumber party and me as a chaperone. Talk about a horror show."

Irma nodded mock-solemnly at her. "See you on the other side, comrade." Despite all their differences, the Earth and Water Guardians shared a bond of OSS: Older Sister Syndrome. It was possibly terminal, especially for the younger sibling. "At least you have Napoleon to back you up."

"_Right_. I appreciate Napoleon, I really do, but there's only so much a talking cat can do without being noticed. At least he keeps Lilian from turning off my alarm like she used to."

"Uh, I have to look after my brother, too," Taranee said as she fiddled with her favorite camera.

"Your _older _brother?" Will asked in disbief.

"Your older _fine as heck_ brother?" Irma clarified with a lick of the lips.

Taranee ignored Irma and answered Will. "Well, Peter's still recovering from that basketball injury. The more he stays off it the better, and the more errands I run for him the less he tries to do it himself."

Hay Lin giggled. "You're such a sweet little sister. I'd like a sister, but my dad says two girls would drive him crazy with worry."

"But a boy wouldn't?" Irma huffed. "How sexist! And this from a guy who's a big old Mama's Boy!" The girls laughed at the truth of the statement; Yan Lin still had her grown son firmly by the ear.

Hay Lin's mind was doing one of its freefalls when it smacked into a mental cloudbank. "Oh! I totally forgot! Remember when I said I had a friend in New York? Well, he should be arriving today. You remember Jake don't you, Irma? Jake Long?"

Irma thought for a second. "Long... wait, do you mean that kid from way back when? Geez, that was some time ago... how _long_'s he staying? Ha, 'pun'ny, ain't it!"

"...if you say so. He'll be here a few weeks. He'll be staying with us at the restaurant, too, the same time June will!"

The whole group halted, Hay Lin bumping into Will, who turned and looked at Hay Lin in surprise. "A _whole _month?" Hay Lin nodded. "At the restaurant." Another nod. "Where you keep a boy from another world?" A slower nod. "And we talk about all things Guardian-related?" A very slow nod. "And you didn't think to mention this?" A very, very slow nod. "Hay Lin..."

"What? It's just Jake."

Irma sighed. "Hay Lin, besides the fact you haven't seen this guy in years and have no idea what he's like now, adding another person to the mix means we have to hide our identities more." Hay Lin's shoulders drooped. "Aw, don't do that. I hate it when you pout. Just try to let us know ahead of time from now on, m'kay?"

Hay Lin perked back up a little. "Okay, I will. Uh, then I guess I should tell you his grandpa and two of his friends are coming, too."

The Guardians walked on in silence as they mulled these developments over. Irma was the first one that spoke and summed up the others' thoughts as well: "Meridian, here we come. At least they love us over there."

Hay Lin nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we're like Jerry Lewis in France. You know, if Jerry Lewis saved France from a magical dictator and gave the queen her throne back. Twice."

"Yeah, and he wore a leotard while doing it."

Cornelia shuddered. "Can we please not talk about old men in tight outfits? I was hoping to eat something today."

Irma smiled mischeiviously at Cornelia. "Are you sure you want to spoil your starvation diet, Corny? What would Caleb think if you gained a pound or, god forbid, five?"

Hay Lin _humphed_ at that. "You haven't watched them eat together have you, Irma? He pushes food in front of her like she's starving. Girls as skinny as us in Meridian usually _are_ starving; I think Caleb's afraid you're gonna pass out on him, Cornelia."

Irma now looked impressed. "You hooked up with a guy that wants you to _gain __weight_? I finally admit it, Cornelia, you rock out loud."

"Naturally," Cornelia agreed. "But it's a little annoying. If I put on too much my best outfits won't fit. Caleb can't seem to understand that." He was only a guy, after all, and most guys lacked the vital sense of fashion that was exceptionally honed in Cornelia. Most women lacked Cornelia's fashion sense, in fact, which was almost as supernatural as her telekinesis and control over plants; Cornelia not only knew what the _new_ black was, she knew when the _old_ black was coming back.

"But I think it's sweet," Hay Lin said. "He's concerned about your health. I always knew he was a catch."

"Then why didn't you date him? Oh, right, he's your 'brother'."

Hay Lin giggled. "Besides, he's not my type."

"Because Eric is?" Taranee asked. Hay Lin blushed at the mention of her beau. "I can see why he was worth waiting for. I was beginninng to wonder if you were picky or something."

"I'm not picky!" Hay Lin countered. "I just... well, it's silly, but... I was always hoping destiny would play a hand in it, you know? If I looked for him, I might miss him. Grandma called it, 'freeing oneself of desire, and allowing fate to take its course.' Sounds real mystical, huh?"

Irma, naturally, had a funny remark to that but something stopped her. "I don't know about that... what if destiny decides you're supposed to be alone? That would suck. I'd fight destiny if it tried to do that to me." The expression on Irma's face implied that even a non-corporeal force that controlled the universe could be given a black eye if it tried to shaft her.

"How could we be alone?" Taranee asked. "We'll always have each other."

Irma smiled at her friend in an unguarded mushy moment. "Of course. But having a guy... having someone that loves you without being family makes you feel... I don't know, justified. Like, if I matter to them more than life itself, I don't care what the world thinks. It's girly to the max, I know, but that's what I think. And if anyone mentions Martin, they die _right now_. _Horribly_."

The other four girls began to whistle innocently before bursting out in laughter. When she regained her composure, Will thought about Irma's definition of love. It was a good one to her, but if it was true, it meant that her father Thomas had not needed her enough to stay in her life. But he still loved her, right? Of course he did.

And he wasn't the only good man in her life. Matt, her boyfriend and the first guy she ever kissed was as loyal and true as they came. Caleb, the former rebel leader from Meridian had a heart of gold wrapped up in a tough leather jacket; a fellow leader, Will could talk to him about things she couldn't even discuss with the girls. Blunk, if a chimpanzee-sized smelly Passling counted as a man, had been good to her in his own way.

That thought lifted her spirits as they neared the restaurant. She had good people in her life, both male and female, and she should be grateful for them. Besides, what were the odds that she'd meet more guys as crazy/brave as Matt and Caleb?

And she'd never meet someone as rank as Blunk, she realized with a grin. _That_ was for sure.

* * *

"Man, these places always creep me out," Ray Ray said as he inspected his surroundings for booby traps. "They're always bigger and cleaner... it's unnatural." 

"If a men's room is the exact opposite, I hope I never have to go inside one," June replied as she washed her hands. Most likely she would one day, since her Te Xuan Ze duties seemed to take her everywhere she didn't want to go.

"Believe me, girl, you don't," Trixie said from the sink next to her. "It's like they trolls or something." She laughed nervously. "If trolls existed, that is."

June smiled knowingly. Despite having just met this girl she liked her already; while June was attending to her "business" she had overheard Ray Ray's somewhat creepy attempts at flirtation be put smoothly aside by Trixie's no-nonsense attitude. She was painless but firm as Trixie informed her brother that he was a few years short of her requirements but to call back when he had some "fuzz on his chest." Ray Ray could be incredibly annoying and she wouldn't have faulted Trixie for throwing down a line to not be crossed; the fact she had been nice to her little brother had scored some serious points with June.

"So, anyway," Trixie continued, "what brings y'all here? Vacationing?"

June winced slightly. The Lee's cover story was exactly that, and she had to tell Trixie, "Yeah, pretty much. Ah-Mah, uh, my grandma has a friend we're staying with. It's sort of a cultural thing, too. A... working vacation, I guess."

Trixie winced back. That sounded just like Jake's cover story. "Cool, cool. My man Jake's got the same deal. Maybe we'll see each other around?"

"I'd like that," June said honestly. "Where are you guys staying?"

"Ow!" Ray Ray cried out in pain.

June whirled around so fast her waist-length hair slapped Trixie in the face and chest. Posed to mangle whatever had harmed her brother, June's fighting stance dropped when she saw Ray Ray sitting under the fold-out diaper-changing table and rubbing his head. June grumbled as Trixie laughed and said, "That seems like something Spud would do. Er, not that your brother's as whack as Spud is."

June smirked. "I imagine he's a lot worse. You okay, little man?"

Ray Ray inched out from under the table and stood, his ego more shaken from the accident than his head. Not that he was worried about what his sister thought, but there was a fine lady in view and his playa image was in need of damage control. "Me? _Pshhh_, barely even felt it. That was, uh, was uhhhh... my battle cry! Waaaaa!" Ray Ray raised his arms and right leg in the Crane position. "If that table had been a monster, I'd have cleaned its clock out so bad its second-couisins would have felt it!"

June sucked in a breath at the word "monster" but Trixie said with exaggerated awe, "Oh, I'm sure you've taken out hordes of 'em." She winked at June conspiratorially. June let out her breath and grinned back.

Ray Ray, his short arms and legs still in the Crane position, somehow shrugged. "I've beaten my fair share."

June eye began to twitch. "Come on, Monster Killer, we better get back before Ah-Mah finds us gone."

The three youngsters returned to where their luggage and fellow travelers waited, Ray Ray rubbing his head the whole way. Spud took one look at Ray Ray and asked, "Did Trixie smack you one, little dude? She has anger management problems, but she won't get into counseling."

Trixie glared at him. "Just because I don't suffer fools doesn't mean I got issues."

Spud vaulted over the luggage and out of Trixie's grasp. "You'll never take me alive! Uh, can I rephrase that?..."

Jake groaned as his stomach growled a duet with him. "Can we save the fighting until after we eat?" Dragons needed their carbs more than the usual person, especially if they were gonna referee a mud-slinging match.

June thanked Lao Shi for watching her bags but the elder dragon wouldn't hear of it. "It was no trouble at all. If you like, we could stay with you until your parents return."

"That's okay, sir. I don't want to hold you up any longer. You should probably try for a cab now instead of later. Besides, my grandma should be back soon."

Eyeing the hopeful expression on his grandpa's face, Jake cut in. "She's right, Gramps, we need to get going. Business trip, remember?" _No time for grandpas playing their play_.

Lao Shi nodded reluctantly and bowed to June. "I suppose. Enjoy your stay in Heatherfield, young ones." Trixie gave June her cell number as the New Yorkers gathered their bags and waved (as best they were able to) goodbye to the Lees. Jake, trying to adjust his bags to avoid cutting off circulation and baking in his red jacket, wasn't looking when he picked up the pet carrier he thought was Fu Dog's. Monroe barely twitched in his heat-drunk slumber as the American Dragon carted him off.

Both magical dogs, groggy from the temperature and filled with cool water from their drinking bottles, had fell asleep before June took her bathroom break. Due to the cosmic Laws of Entertainment Value and Bad Timing, neither would wake up until it was the worst possible time for them to do so. In this case, when both groups were halfway to their mutual destination.

For now, June and Ray Ray paid no attention to Fu's carrier as their grandmother elbowed her way though the crowd. She handed the kids a soft drink each despite their saying that they didn't want one earlier. Years of experience as both a grandmother and a Te Xuan Ze had taught Jasmine to anticipate needs before they arose. "Sorry I took so long, kids. I ran into that man again at the concession stand."

June noted the smug expression on her Ah-Mah's face. "Did karma get around to him yet?"

"Well, if by karma you mean a twisted arm and a severe lecture then yes, I suppose it has. Now, let's drink up and then get ourselves a ride. I don't know if I'll be happier to see Yan or her air conditioning."

June thought about mentioning the nice old man and the kids but decided to wait til later; more specifically, the air-conditioned later. After they finished their drinks and tossed them in the trash, June began to load herself down with nearly a hundred pounds of luggage. "Ray Ray, would ya grab Monroe?" She could easily carry the dog as well, but didn't want to attract attention more than she already was.

"Got it, June." Ray Ray began to roll the pet carrier along, not realizing that "Monroe's" carrier didn't have wheels on it when they bought it.

* * *

It turned out that, despite their good deed, karma just wasn't with the New Yorkers today. In accordance with the Laws (see above), the cab they managed to flag down overheated halfway to the restaurant. In addition, the twenty-something punk of a driver tried to con them into paying for the full trip until Jake's eyes flashed a devilish red glow that said, "_Don't try it, pal_." 

The cabbie was much more courteous after that. "My bad, free of charge, have a nice day!"

With as much good humor as they could manage, our intrepid adventurers began the long journey to their air-conditioned destination. It helped that they were laughing their heads off at the cab driver as he ran the other way; Lao Shi couldn't even bring himself to admonish Jake for the slip.

Fortuantely, most of the luggage had wheels on it and this made the trip far easier. Jake was about to take the lead when he noticed that Fu's carrier was dragging on the ground. Frowning, Jake bent over to check the sides to see if the wheels had fallen off and happened to glance into the carrier. His frown was quickly joined by a quirked eyebrow. Something was different about...

"Fu, you awak... holy!" Jake yanked open the door and stared at the dog that was sleeping inside. "Who are you?!"

Monroe slowly roused himself from sleep and stared at Jake blearily. His eyes focused and he realized the boy looking at him was a complete stranger. Naturally, Monroe politely inquired as to the lad's identity. "Who in blue blazes are you?!"

If this was Fu Dog, then the Shar Pei had had a serious facelift and lost a lot of weight since disembarking the train. Not to mention adopted a Scottish accent in lieu of his wise guy-from-Brooklyn way of speaking. Ergo, this wasn't Fu. Jake felt that he should inform the mystery dog of this fact. "You're not Fu Dog!"

The dog fixed him with an insulted expression. "You're damn right I'm not Fu dog! I'm slim and trim, not flabby like that lazy thief!"

Lao Shi leaned over and looked at the dog with shock and recognition. "Monroe?! Why, I haven't seen you since... '92!"

The dog looked at Lao Shi and laughed. "Well, if it isn't 'Lucky' Lao Shi! God, man, you look awful. Are ye takin' vitamins?"

Lao Shi stroked his goatee thoughtfully as he pondered his nutritional needs. "Well, I am on Centrum, but I do throw in a bit of ginseng now and then and gingko biloba for my memory..."

"Whoa, whoa, back it up!" Jack cut in. "You two know each other?"

Lao Shi nodded. "Indeed. Monroe, this is my grandson Jake, the American Dragon. Jake, this is Monroe, the animal guardian for the line of the Te Xuan Ze."

"Oh, the Te Xuan... Ze... _the _Te Xuan Ze?" The incredibly kick-ass Te Xuan Ze that could school the entire Huntsclan in a cage match and not spill her drink while she was at it? And Jake had just stolen her dog. _Ohhhh, mannnnnnn... _"_The Te Xuan Ze_?"

Monroe cast a baleful stare at Jake. "No, lad, the _other_ protector of the magical world. I kin tell he's yours, Lao."

'Uh, excuse me?" Trixie looked at the two dragons like they were delusional. "Where is Fu and why are y'all talking to this mutt? He ain't talking back!"

"Mutt?!" Monroe glared at Trixie. "I'll have you know, lass, my pedigree is as pure as driven snow!" Trixie didn't hear this, but was instead subjected to a frenzy of barking from the dog. Jake was about to explain things when he realized that there was one question he couldn't answer: where was Fu Dog?"

* * *

Fu Dog and the Lees were a few blocks behind them on a city bus. Deciding that a cab wouldn't hold all of their belongings they opted for public transportation and a longer walk to the restaurant (June was doing the heavy lifting, anyway.) Fu Dog's carrier was sitting on the seat next to Ray Ray, who was trying to open the bus window while June watched him like a disapproving bird-of-prey. Fu was still asleep and snoring extremely loud, causing June to cast the occasional glance at the pet carrier. "Man, Monroe is a chainsaw today." 

Ah-Mah followed her gaze and nodded. "Best he get some rest before we get to the _Dragon_. Yan won't give him a moment's peace when she gets a hold of him."

"Why's that?"

Ah-Mah chuckled. "She thinks he's cute. Ever since we were girls she's always fussed over him. Add that to the fact that she hasn't seen him in years..."

Ah-Mah looked thoughtful as she continued. "It's a shame that you've never met her or my other friends, Juniper. We get so caught up in our responsibilities that we forget the simple joys of being with good friends. I haven't seen Max or Lao for years, and they've already got grandchildren of their own. While I expect you to study hard, June, I hope you'll have some fun with the other kids, too."

"You know me, Ah-Mah: Work hard, play hard, sleep when I can. Besides, I can't wait to see the girls again; it's only because of them I'm able to leave town." June frowned. "Ah-Mah, are you sure this is okay, me being away from Orchid Bay so long? I mean, 'Glory Hallejulah' that I get to leave at all, but..."

"Do not worry, Juniper. The Council of Elders has taken care of everything." Indeed, numerous precautions had been undertaken in place of the Te Xuan Ze's leave and Jasmine would imagine that her granddaughter would have been touched and shocked at how many had answered the summons to cover for her. Numerous powerful creatures and beings aligned with the side of Good had converged on Orchid Bay City while the Protector was away to safeguard it.

Even Thor, the Norse god of lightning and thunder, had turned his divine attention on the city; you don't get much better protection than T-Money, though Jasmine was a little concerned about those valkyries of his. Lila had promised to keep an eye on them for June, though she was sure the Bigfoot girl was more than a little eager for a rematch with the warrior women.

Though Orchid Bay was an important nexus of the magical worlds and therefore deserved all the protection it could recieve, Jasmine felt that many of these assistants were doing their duties out of admiration and sympathy for the feisty young Te Xuan Ze. "You are highly thought of, June, more than you might think. You've impressed a lot of people with your courage and heart."

June, cynical as always, blew that train of thought off its tracks. "Oh, yeah, I'm full of rainbows and puppies."

Ah-Mah smirked. "Well, in your own way you are, June. You don't have to worry about the city or your friends." She chuckled. "Trust me, kiddo, we got a whole army there taking care of things."

"If you say so, Ah-Mah." Truth be told, she would have liked her friends to be with her right now. Te Xuan Ze duties took up butt-loads of her free time and kept her from being with them as much as she liked. At least they were safe back home; Heatherfield had a reputation as being much more dangerous as the hometown of the Guardians of Candracar. It would also have been nigh impossible to conceal the world of magic from them in a place like this, especially when staying with the Lins. "At least I can leave town for a while now; this whole Te Xuan Ze thing is getting a little easier to handle."

June's mind was also eased by the small tear-shaped pendant around her neck. A gift from Ah-Mah, it would teleport her back to her room in Orchid Bay if she was desperately needed. Jasmine wore a similar pendant that would allow June to travel back to wherever her grandmother was. While June's life was generally complicated by magic, the problem was also the solution more often than not, as long as you said the right words and waved the requisite Shiny Jewel of Power+3.

In his carrier Fu Dog stirred awake, yawning and stretching as much as the confines of the container would let him. Smacking his mouth loudly, Fu peered out the tiny metal bars of his "prison" as he wondered where they were on their journey to the _Silver Dragon_. The Shar Pei realized he was on a bus and concluded that they were almost to the restaurant. Heh, about time.

He yawned and was sucking in air when he noticed a lack of certain scents in the air. Though he was a magical talking dog, he was still a dog and possessed all the faculties inherent in his species. First and foremost was a good sense of smell which seemed to be malfunctioning since Fu couldn't detect even a hint of dragon in the air. Nor could he smell Trixie's light dabbing of perfume or Spud's Cheetos/mothballs/something or another aroma. There was one scent that was slightly familiar, but that was it.

Fu's paranoia kicked into high gear as he concluded that he had been kidnapped by the _enemy_! He wasn't sure what enemy, but there was one thing he _was_ sure of: when the time was right, he was going to bust out of here and... hi-yaaaaa! Whaaaa! Kick some booty and take some names! Show'em who's the top dog!

Until then, though, he was going get some more shut-eye. If he was going to school some fools, he needed his rest. Besides, Lao Shi and the kid would probably have things wrapped up by the time his dog-nap was over. No sense getting worked up over it, blood pressure and all.

* * *

"This place sucks." 

Gwen fixed her cousin with a withering stare. "You just got to Heatherfield and you're already dumping on it. Way to not be judgmental, dweeb."

Ben screwed up his face as he stared out the RV's side window. "I thought this place was supposed to Weird Central, but it's just so... so... _normal_. Huh. Guess your Geek Machine can't be right all the time."

Gwen growled but was forced to agree with Ben, which was the only way she'd ever agree with her cousin at all. Sure enough, Heatherfield looked like a pleasant yet boring city, nothing like what Gwen had pictured from the articles she had read on the internet. The logical part of her said that Heatherfield, a place where crime was practically nonexistent and actually _looked_ like the postcards from the gas station on the outside of town, was so dull that the rumors had been started just to liven the place up.

Even Grandpa Max said that he'd never seen anything weird on his numerous trips here, though Gwen took that statement with a truckload of salt. Max Tennyson had a debatable sense of what "weird" was.

She should have been relieved; it wasn't like she didn't get her daily dose of Bizarre as it was. But the pictures of the "Heatherfield Fairies" had looked so cool that Gwen wanted to see them in person. It would have been such a nice change from the usual assortment of creepy encounters. While Ben loved to change into gross and disgusting aliens, Gwen would personally want to transform into a taller, prettier version of herself with abilities as beautiful as they were powerful. Basically, her occasional alter-ego of Lucky Girl with a better body, or maybe the future version of herself she'd met once.

If Ben ever found out, he'd rag her endlessly about wanting to be a fairy. At least until she killed him in some ingenious and untraceable manner free of suspicion in regards to his intelligent and remorseful (and incredibly attractive, if she said so herself) cousin. _He was, sniff, so young_... and so annoying. So, in the slim, slim, _slim_ hope that Ben might actually mature in the coming years, she kept her disappointment and homicidal plans to herself.

Besides, if there was anything odd going on in Heatherfield, they'd find it sooner or later. The Tennysons seemed to have a knack for locating the unusual and (usually) dangerous. Gwen resolved to have her camera ready at all times in case the Fairies showed up, or if Ben did something stupid. _When_ Ben did something stupid, she corrected herself. In this uncertain world, some things were as reliable as the changing of the seasons. Day would turn to night, the moon had its cycles, and Ben would do something stupid. It was nature, really.

They were currently crossing the suspension bridge that connected the two halves of the city on their way to the RV park. From there they would take a shuttle into the city and meet up with Max's friends at a Chinese restaurant called the _Silver Dragon_ that was owned by Yan Lin and her family. Having skipped lunch to clean her sundress, Gwen was looking forward to the food as much as she was to interrogating Grandpa's old buddies and former paramour. Ben, however, had other perogatives.

"I wonder of there's any place around here that I can practice with the watch," Ben said as he watched the city pass them by. "Looks too crowded... and I was going to try something new with XLR8."

Gwen shook herself out of her reverie. "Huh? What go you mean?" XLR8 was one of the forms that Ben could change into with the Omnitrix. It was a bio-mechanical reptilian alien with blue skin and a streamlined outfit that could travel at incredible speed due to its control over friction. The fastest of the alien forms, it was a little weak offensively but also insanely agile. Ben usually used it to get takeout for them, guaranteeing the food remained hot at the price of scaring the daylights out of the people in the restaurant. "All it does is run really fast," she stated.

"Yeah, but I was thinking about its control over friction. Friction makes heat, right? Well, if I increase the friction when I'm running, I can make fire." Ben looked at Gwen and grinned. "Maybe not as good as Heat Blast, but wouldn't be cool if I could start a fire as XLR8?"

"Somehow you starting a fire doesn't sound very 'cool'," Gwen said. "I'm glad we refilled the extinguishers." It was something of a weekly ritual on this roadtrip; Gwen had put out more blazes in the last month than most fire-fighter trainees.

"Ah," Ben continued, "But that's the best part! I think I can put out fires in that same alien by running around them really fast and creating a wind tunnel to suck the air out of the fire. Y'know, create a vaccuum." Ben sucked in air though his mouth to demonstrate, looking extremely dopey while doing it.

Gwen gaped at him, too shocked to grab her camera and capture the dopiness for posterity. "Good lord, Ben, did you actually _research_ this?" This was an evolution on par with the first sea creature to sprout legs and walk on land.

"Yep!" Ben pulled a _Speed Fiend _comic book out of his travel bag and waved it in Gwen's face. "I went straight to the experts! See? Page twelve, third panel. Whoosh!"

Gwen's stared at the panel, then shrugged. "Scary thing is, that probably _is_ the expert opinion."

"We're coming up on the RV park now, kids," Max said from the front. "Who wants to help me hook up the utilities?"

"Ben will!" Gwen said in a rehearsed action.

"Gwen w... crap!" Ben glared at her. "How do you do that?"

"It's called planning ahead, 'hero'. Bet they don't cover that in your comics."

Ben sneered and crossed his arms behind his head. "Well, that's 'cause real superheroes don't have to plan things out; it just comes naturally to us. Maybe you'll get it one day..." Ben smirked at her. "...but I doubt it."

Gwen rolled her eyes as she powered down her laptop. All of a sudden, the idea of hanging out with a bunch of kids she didn't know was looking a lot more appealing; no way they could be as bizarre as Ben Tennyson.

* * *

Author's Note: Moving things along in this one, basically. It was originally a much longer chapter, but I learned my lesson about that from Dark Gossamer Wings and broke it into two. It was like breaking a leg, argh! But for my readers, it was worth it. 

I apologize to anyone named Susan Mannigan who read this chapter, it was just the first name that leapt to mind.

Episode References: June and Lila fought Thor's Valkyries to save their school in "Citizen June."

Ben and Gwen traveled to a possible future in "Ben 10,000" where both of them were well-known superheroes.

Computers with the logo of a pear are seen often in Danny Phantom, an obvious parody of Apple computers.

Tucker more or less got over his hospital phobia in "Emotion Sickness" but considering the end of the episode it's likely to have returned.


	3. Reunions and Meetings and Weird Feelings

Disclaimer: The five shows in this fanfiction are not mine and therefore generate no revenue for me, just reviews.

Author's Note: No sooner than I type "it was like breaking a leg" than I end up twisting and spraining my knee at work! Fear the Author's Notes, they bring ruin! And supermodels! Lots and lots of supermodels!

...crud. Well, at least it wasn't male models that showed up. On the road to recovery, happy to say, and writing more because, franky, sitting is easier than walking at this point.

* * *

Chapter Three: Reunions and Meetings and Weird Feelings

* * *

_They shouldn't be that hard to miss_. _The last time I saw them they were wearing those jumpsuits and Jack, well, he's not exactly the smallest man... _Susan Vandom fanned herself with her menu as she watched the entrance of the _Silver Dragon_t for any sign of her daughter or the Fentons. It would figure that she'd get her week of paid-vacation during a heatwave and that her boyfriend Dean Collins would be teaching summer school. 

Still, the timing was perfect for a reunion with her old friends from University of Wisconsin. She'd kept in touch with Jack and Maddie over the years but never had the chance to reunite with them due to her demanding job at Simultech and raising her developing hellion of a daughter. The Fentons had been busy as well, though she couldn't begin to believe the stories that were circulating about them. Battling ghosts and such; talk about leading interesting lives.

It had been apparent that the two ghost-fanatics were made for each other from the moment she met them in the middle of the decadent eighties. Though Jack had shown some interest in Susan initially, the eccentric inventor had quickly realized that she was as enthusiastic about ghosts as she was into that new rap music. With he and Maddie it was nothing short of destiny; they were opposites on some levels but had the same interests in all the ways that counted. Susan wished she had been as lucky with her choice in men at that age; at least she had gotten her daughter out of her mess of a marriage. In Sue's opinion, even flowers could grow out of sh-poop.

Susan shook her head at the censorship. She was a very different woman since she had her baby. If she ever told Will what she'd been like when she was younger, the child would never have believed her.

Maddie had talked at length about her children when they'd planned their meeting for today. Jazz had grown into a beautiful and intelligent woman just like her mother and was the highest scoring student at her school; Susan wasn't too surprised, having noticed how brilliant and eloquent the girl was when she was younger.

Daniel Fenton sounded more like her own daughter; average grades, no discernible direction in life and somewhat moody. Not that Maddie had said as much, but Susan had learned to read between the lines mothers used. At the very least he and Will would get along, probably spending their time together complaining about their parents.

Susan was broken from her reverie when she heard a soft masculine voice call her name. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Vandom. Would you like to order now?"

Susan looked up at the young waiter and smiled. "Actually, I 'm waiting for some friends to arrive first. You look well, Caleb." And she meant it; when she had first met the young man she had been nervous about Will spending time alone with him. Anger and pain radiated off him so strongly she was afraid he would turn that negative energy on those around him.

But Will was never afraid, and eventually the hostility seemed to leave Caleb like the changing of the seasons. He was lighter now, smiled more, and made even more attractive for this change in demeanor. Though Will had been seeing Matt Olsen for over a year now and Caleb was (on and off) with her friend Cornelia, her daughter had blushed slightly when she asked if she had ever thought about dating the boy.

Though she had been teasing, Susan was fairly certain that the rest of Will's friends and just about every other girl that met Caleb fell a little in love with him. He was certainly handsome, the only real physical defects Caleb currently possessed were slightly baggy eyes indicating a lack of sleep. Susan chalked it up to the time difference from where Caleb lived with the Browns during the school year, a place called "Meridian"; she thought it was somewhere in Mississippi, though Caleb seemed to lack an accent. His father was in the military or something like that, so it was possible Caleb was an army brat. The air of mystery only helped to attract the girls even more; Susan had been amused when she realized the apparently guileless Caleb was utterly unaware of his-what did Will's friend Irma call it?-oh, yes: "his Hottie Rating."

Whatever else he was, he was definitely a cutie. There was no real comparison between the two, but it reminded her uneasily of how her ex-husband Thomas had been: good looking with just the right amount of "rebel" in him. Caleb, however, was far more open and honest; one could tell exactly what he was thinking just by looking at his face. It was strange to see a young person that comfortable with himself, she thought, but most teenagers didn't have to grow up like Caleb did. Susan, of course, had no idea how right she was.

"Thank you." Caleb seemed to search for something to say; confident as he was, conversation was not his forté. "Things are... better than before."

Susan had no idea what this meant, but took it at face value. "I'm glad to hear that. Will was always saying how difficult it was for you growing up. She thinks a lot of you," she added, to show that Will respected and not pitied him for his trials.

Caleb blushed at the mention of her daughter's opinion of him and turned an attractive shade of red. Lord, if she was a teenager again Susan would be all over him. "Oh. Well, I think a lot of her, too. I mean, I respect her... would you like some more water?" he offered, trying to hide his discomfort behind professional courtesy.

"Yes, please. It's just so hot lately..." Susan was wearing blue jean shorts and red and blue striped tank top in order to combat the heat. It was considerably less than the amount of clothing she usually wore; briefly she wondered what Caleb thought of Will's mom in her summer outfit. Then she mentally slapped herself for wanting to know if a boy twenty years her junior thought she was attractive. _Let's stave off the mid-life crisis for a few more years, huh, Sue_?

"I understand. I'll put some extra ice in your glass. Be right back." As he left with her glass Susan cast another glance at the doors just in time to see a worried Juniper Lee and her family enter, carting their luggage behind them and looking over the restaurant as if they were searching for someone. A swish of doors announced Yan Lin as she left the kitchen; her traditional robes gave her the illusion of sliding across the floor to the newcomers. Her smile was so wide it seemed to literally stretch from ear to ear as she greeted and embraced June's grandmother.

Never one to eavesdrop, Susan still couldn't help but overhear their conversation. "Jasmine, you look wonderful!" Yan Lin said happily. "And Juniper and Raymond! It is good to see you again."

The children greeted Yan Lin with different responses as they both bowed formally to Yan Lin; the boy called Ray Ray was almost alarmingly enthusiastic while the girl known as Juniper barely acknowledged the woman, her eyes flicking toward the windows. "Ah-Mah..." she urged the woman called Jasmine.

"Oh, yeah," Jasmine said. "Yan, we had a bit of mix-up at the station. Apparently, June and Ray Ray met up with Lao and his grandson Jake while I was away getting drinks. One thing led to another and Fu and Monroe switched places. Can you believe it? June's worried about Monroe, naturally. Have they arrived yet?"

"No, I am afraid not," Yan replied and turned to June. "I would not worry about your guardian, young one. Lao Shi is a fierce dragon still, and I have heard his grandson is quite powerful as well. He could not be in safer hands, well, other than your own, Protector."

_What? _Susan thought at the strange terminology. _Maybe it's a cultural thing_.

"I guess so..." June agreed reluctantly.

"Well, in the meantime, let's get you settled in. Caleb?"

Susan started when she realized that Caleb had already returned with her drink and was standing near her table. For such a tall boy, he moved like a shadow. "Yes, Mrs. Lin?"

"Please help the Lees with their luggage. I'll handle the tables; I'm afraid I'm not as strong as I used to be."

"Ha!" Jasmine chuckled. "You were always made of _air_, Yan! I could pick you up and carry you around even when we were kids!"

Yan Lin glared at her friend. "And look at where at that muscle has gotten you, Jasmine; you're the size of an ox!"

Susan snorted back a laugh and pretended to be very interested in her ice water when Caleb looked at her curiously. She was grateful when they ignored her and went about their business. Caleb picked up two large suitcases that the younger girl had been carrying and, from his surprised expression, found them to be heavier than he thought. As he lead the kids up the stairs Jasmine leaned in and whispered to Yan Lin, "Is that Hay Lin's boyfriend?"

Yan chuckled. "Oh, no, Caleb is a part of the family, though Hay Lin has a hottie of her own! By the way, she'll be arriving shortly with her friends."

Jasmine's eyes widened. "Ah, you mean 'those' friends? I have to thank them again for helping June. If it wasn't for the Heart of Cand-oooff!"

Yan Lin had lightly elbowed her friend in the ribs and, though her eyes didn't so much as drift in Susan's direction, she got the feeling that the old woman was looking right at her. "You should get some rest, Jasmine. Soon there will be hordes of young ones underfoot and there will be little peace at all."

"Ooh... Always the mother, eh, Yan? Well, alright." They embraced again, Yan Lin's back popping back into place from the second hug. "It is so good to see you again, Big Sister. We have to go clubbing later, when the kids are asleep!" Yan Lin laughed.

When Jasmine was of hearing range Yan Lin grinned at Susan. "An ox indeed!"

Susan blushed, feeling a lot younger than she was at the moment. Mrs. Lin tended to induce that feeling when she was around the elderly woman. "Um, excuse me?"

"Don't play innocent with me, little lady," Yan Lin said, the grin now accompanied by an admonishing look. "I can see where Will gets it from, though to be fair all women are nosy by nature."

"I'm sorry." Geezus, she was the customer, why was she apologizing? "I didn't mean to... you know."

"As loud as that woman is? You'd have to be as far away as Aubrey to eavesdrop!" Susan's mouth twitched as her sense of humor warred with her good manners. "Has Caleb taken your order yet? I apologize, he is not sleeping well..."

"No, it's okay, I was just waiting until my friends arrived. They're supposed to meet me here but they're a little..." How to put it delicately? "…absent-minded."

"I'm sure they will make it. Fortunately, the rush has not started yet, and we have plenty of room for a large party." Yan Lin indicated the nearly empty restaurant. "By two o'clock this place will be filled to the brim and bubbling over like one of Caleb's stews."

Susan blinked at her. "You can just tell?"

"Oh, yes, dear," the old woman replied, her voice changing subtly to a lighter tone. "When one lives for a long time, she will see patterns that emerge in a cycle that plays throughout life."

Susan was nearly mesmerized by the metaphysical connotations until a thought occurred to her. "Or, you've been in the restaurant business so long that you just know what's going to happen on any given day."

Yan Lin chuckled. "And that is why I'm always happy to see you walk though our doors, Susan. You... cut through the crap, is that the phrase?"

Susan nodded. "Will says I don't have any imagination, so all I know are the facts."

"And yet she is your daughter in that regard, always getting to the heart of the matter. Children; they think they just popped out of thin air without us to bring their spirits into the world. But I'm rambling. I'm sure the Fentons will be here momentarily."

"What? But how..."

"I have many ways of gathering secrets, young lady... not the least of which is a talkative granddaughter who has me on one-touch-dialing." Susan chuckled at the admission. "If you wish to wait, I'll take your orders when they arrive, dear." Yan Lin left her and began to make the rounds to check on the other customers. Susan gave an involuntarily shrug as what she referred to as the "Yan Effect" washed over her. Whenever she talked to Hay Lin's grandmother she was besot with conflicting feelings of amusement and confusion, topped off with the suspicion that Mrs. Lin wasn't telling her something.

She liked the woman and had come to appreciate her insight into child-rearing; she was also comfortable with Will spending so much time at the restaurant now. But still... she knew that Yan Lin was hiding something. As long as it didn't threaten Will in any way she could let it slide, but one day she wanted to know what the big secret was.

The distinctive sounds of teenage girls drifted over to her as Will and her friends walked through the doors. The snatches Susan heard of the conversation were typical; boys, summer plans and some sort of practice. Will detached herself from the group and sat across from her mother. "Hey, mom. Am I too late to meet the Fentons?"

"No, you're actually early." _For once_. "Do you want to order now?"

"Naw, I can wait. Guys?"

It was strange, Susan thought, how often Will would check up on the group's status. _Are you hungry? Is it too hot? How are you feeling? _It gave Susan the absurd impression of a squad leader asking for status updates from his troops.

Every one of the girls could wait, apparently. The other girls sat down with Will and Susan while Hay Lin decided to pass the time by taking one of her many positions within the restaurant as door greeter. The girl's cuteness and nearly unlimited amount of cheer made her perfect for the job, though today she had another objective in mind. "I hope I can greet Jake when he comes in," Hay Lin said to the others gleefully. "Wouldn't that be great?"

"Jake?" Susan asked as she remembered the name. "One of your grandmother's friends arrived with her grandchildren a minute ago. They met up with a boy named that at the train station."

"Really?" Hay Lin asked. "Great! Thanks, Mrs. Vandom!"

Susan was amused at the girl's excitement. "You're welcome. Is Jake a relative of yours?"

"No, just a friend."

"_Just_ a friend?" Irma said in disbelief. "You'd think he hung the moon the way you talk about him." Hay Lin blushed and turned toward the front doors.

"Do you remember much about him, Irma?" Will asked with both professional interest and standard curiosity. If he was going to be around for a month it would help to have some info. Plus, she was dying to know more about Hay Lin's hero.

Irma scrunched her face up in concentration "Well, he seemed okay. We were in Kindergarten at the time but he wasn't bratty or anything like my little brat-brother is. Kind of a show-off, but I think he just wanted to impress Hay Lin. Heh... couldn't throw too well!" Irma thought for a second. "That's about it. If Mrs. Lin isn't worried about having him here, we probably shouldn't stress too much." Will nodded in agreement. It wasn't as if they didn't have enough to deal with already.

Cornelia glanced around the restaurant, trying to look mildly disinterested. "Oh, has anyone seen Caleb? I thought he was working today."

Irma rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just fit him with a bell and a GPS tracker and be done with it?"

Once again Susan found himself in the role of the Human Information Kiosk. "He was helping Mrs. Lin's friend take their luggage upstairs. I guess they're staying for awhile?"

"A month," Will said. "It's a... a cultural thing, I guess." Something kicked in Will's brain as she processed what her mother had said. "Wait a second... was there a girl with them?..."

The bell at the front doors dinged. Hay Lin turned with a big smile on her face to greet her long lost friend and was disappointed to see an older man dressed in a bright tropical shirt accompanied by two green-eyed kids.

"Something wrong?" Max Tennyson asked worriedly. Surely he had remembered to "close the barn door"...?

"Oh! Nothing! I'm sorry! Welcome to the _Silver Dragon_! Table for three?"

"Yes, please. Is Yan around?"

"You know Grandma? Uhm, sir?"

Max smiled widely in recognition. "I thought it was you, Hay! Why, the last time I saw you were just up to my knees!" He looked past at Hay Lin and sighted her grandmother as she was feeding the fish in the restaurant's aquarium. "Hey, little girl, where's your uniform?" he called out to her. It sounded somewhat odd to Susan but it seemed to garner a positive reaction from the "little girl."

"Max!" Yan Lin dropped the fish food and hurried across the floor to throw her arms around the tall man. Max returned the hug with a laugh and picked her up off the floor; Yan shrieking in a manner more suitable to a schoolgirl than a grandmother and causing every person in the restaurant to look at them with amused expressions. Except for Ben, who rolled his eyes and stared at the fish tank in exasperated embarrassment.

"This can't be the Yan Lin I know," Max said as he put the restauranteur down. "You don't look a day over forty-five!"

Yan Lin slapped his thick arm playfully. "Ha! Your eyesight is going, Maxie! You haven't been eating enough carrots, I take it?"

Ben blanched. "'Maxie'? You've gotta be kidding me..."

"And this is my little Benjy?!" Yan Lin stuck her smiling face close to Ben's to examine him, causing the ten-year-old to back away instinctively. "Why, look at you! You don't remember Grandma Lin, do you?" Ben shook his head nervously, as if there might be a penalty for not knowing. "Well, I suppose not. When last I saw you I was changing your diapers. Whew, what a stinky one you were!"

Gwen laughed out loud at that. "He-hee hee-still is!" she choked out. Ben glared at her and absently tapped his finger against his rather large black watch.

Yan Lin looked over at Ben's detractor. "And Gwendolyn, yes?"

"Yes, ma'am," Gwen replied cheerfully. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Lin. Grandpa's told us a_ lot_ about you." She looked meaningfully at Max, who shrugged and tried to look nonchalant, only to end up looking constipated.

"And it's nice to meet you, Gwendolyn... Max said you prefer Gwen, correct?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Agh, no ma'am with me, little one! Why, I was _this_ close to becoming your grandma a long time ago!" She smiled at Max warmly. "Unfortunately, it was not to be."

Gwen, Ben, and Hay Lin's eyes grew large. "Whoa," Ben said, "You guys were together? No wonder Grandpa made record time getting here!" Ben's comment elicited a round of laughter from everyone, even from the restrained Susan. Ben looked at Max. "So, uh, why didn't you take the plunge, Grampa?"

Max sighed. "Duty, mainly. I was in the 'army' when I met Yan. I was transferred all over the place and just passed through Heatherfield a couple of times. By the time I was, uh, 'discharged' Yan already met Hay's grandfather. That was the one thing I regretted about the service, missing an opportunity like that."

For their grandchildren it was difficult to believe that their grandparents had ever dated period, most of all each other. For Ben and Gwen the revelation was particularly bittersweet since they knew that Max had been a Plumber, a member of a special forces unit that had battled paranormal threats like the monstrous alien warlord Vilgax. Grandpa Max having to fight the horrible sociopathic extraterrestrial to protect Earth and the girl he loved was the stuff of, well, sci-fi movies to be honest, but the Tennyson kids still felt a spike of pride pierce their hearts at Max's sacrifice.

The sounds of sniffling caught their attention; it was Hay Lin and she looked like she was about to cross over into crying. "That... that is so _sad_."

"Hey, no need for tears, kiddo! I wasn't exactly a bachelor for life, or these two wouldn't be here." Max gestured at Gwen and Ben; Gwen politely offered Hay Lin her hanky to dry her eyes while Ben also offered the end of his untucked shirt, earning a exasperated glare from Gwen. "Of course, I never met another girl like your grandmother, if you know what I mean." Max winked at Yan Lin; Hay Lin looked at him curiously before glancing at the other Guardians.

"Oh, Max, you charmer! You must really be hungry!" Ben and Gwen's stomachs growled loudly as they noticed the smells wafting through the restaurant. "And you two as well! Please, have a seat while I get your meals ready. I made your favorite, Max!" She guided them to the table next the Guardians and Susan where they were seated. "Please help me bring the food out, Caleb. You're really earning your paycheck today, aren't you?"

Caleb just shrugged in response; his present duties were a lot easier than the ones he had grown up with. The rest of Caleb's life was practically a vacation compared to the past he'd endured, but only the Guardians and Yan knew that.

Caleb smiled that Killer Smile at Cornelia that always made her go weak in the knees as he followed the restauranteur; Irma rolled her eyes at the Earth Guardian as she dissolved into emotional jelly at the gesture. Of course, the Killer Smile also had a splash radius that hit other girls beside his target, causing Irma and Gwen to fan themselves slightly. They caught each other mimicking the gesture and grinned sheepishly as they silently agreed on Caleb's hotness.

"So, you were in the army, Mr. Tennyson?" Taranee asked.

"Just Max, please. Mr. Tennyson makes me feel old. Old_er_, anyway. Yes, I was enlisted for many years, mainly in... security, I guess you could say, for sensitive materials. After that I was a _plumber_ before I retired." Gwen and Ben looked at each other knowingly. "What about you, Miss Vandom? Off the top of my head I'd say... modeling?"

The kids groaned, but Susan blushed happily at the guess. She could tell Max must have been ruggedly handsome back in the day and still knew how to talk to a woman; no doubt Mrs. Lin had been on the receiving end of that charm. "Not quite. I work at the Simultech branch in town. Nowhere near as exciting as the army, I'm sure."

"Oh, there's nothing exciting about the military, believe me..." Max was interrupted by Ben choking on his water. Gwen roughly patted his back as she tried to grin innocently at the other girls. "Just a lot of yelling and boredom. Still, I kept some dangerous stuff out of the hands of bad people, so it was time well-spent. Of course, raising a family was a lot more fulfilling."

"I know," Susan agreed, "But it can be murder on your sanity!"

"Hey... what's that supposed to mean?" Will asked indignantly. "Someone's not getting a Mother's Day card next year."

Max looked at Will and Susan with wide eyes. "Oh. I didn't realize... I should have seen the resemblance."

"It's the hair," Will said. "I got it from my dad." Ben was looking at Will, too, and quickly turned his attention to his water when Gwen noticed him staring. Gwen smirked at no one in particular as she foresaw an opportunity for some much deserved antagonizing later.

"So, how did you meet Grandma?" Hay Lin asked as Yan and Caleb returned with their food. Ben and Gwen dug in immediately, relieved to be eating regular Chinese food as opposed to Max's "exotic" dishes of insects and animal parts not usually consumed by human beings. Gwen noted that her cousin was using his napkin a lot more with Will around. Maybe she wouldn't rag him _too_ badly.

Oh, but he would be ragged. That was for sure.

Max looked at Yan Lin before he answered Hay Lin's question. "Well, er... it wasn't just one big meeting, we kind of passed by each other a few times before we really talked. I guess what caught my attention was her... her hair. She used to have it cut real short back then, an unusual style for a girl in that day and age. That, and she caught me checking her out and called me on it!" Max and Yan laughed as the others stared at them in shock.

"No she didn't!" Taranee said in mock denial.

"Oh, yeah, she did! My ears and face were red when she was done with me."

"What did you do then, Grampa?" Gwen asked.

"Only I could think of doing: I asked her out! And she said yes!" Everyone laughed at the unexpected resolution. "But she was very haughty about it. Not that that intimidated me; it just made her more interesting."

"It was the uniform," Yan Lin explained. "I really liked the uniform."

Max looked at her slyly. "Not as much as I liked yours, I bet." Yan Lin blushed as the Guardians snuck glances at each other. "Oh, I completely forgot; are the others here yet? Lao still owes me money from Super Bowl Twenty-Eight."

Yan Lin rolled her eyes. "Men and their sports... Jasmine is upstairs with June and Ray Ray getting settled in."

"Great! She owes me money from Super Bowl Twenty Nine."

Another roll of the eyes and a sigh for good measure. "Men and _Jasmine_ and their sports... Apparently, her grandkids met up with Lao and his grandson at the train station where they switched dog carriers. Fu Dog is upstairs asleep and Monroe is with Lao, who should be here shortly with Jacob..."

"Jake!" Hay Lin yelped. She darted back to the front door and took up her menus with a righteous furor that was more likely to scare off customers than welcome them. The Tennysons stared at her before turning to Yan Lin.

"My granddaughter is very excited to see Jake again," Yan explained. "They were like two beans in a pod."

"Peas!" Hay Lin corrected from the doors, still in her manic mode. "We're peas!" Irma, who loved her oldest friend more than her own heartbeat, did the twirly finger gesture toward her head that suggested a screw loose in the mental workings. Gwen and Ben giggled quietly at the sight.

"You know," Max said, "I think Fu owes me money from Wimbledon '91. Maybe I should go collect while he's caged up." Everyone laughed at the idea of a _dog _owing money on a lost bet. No one really noticed Yan Lin whipping Max with a menu in admonishment.

June, Jasmine, and Ray Ray came down the stairs at that moment. Jasmine sighted Max and said, "It's in the mail!"

"Sure it is, lady," Max responded as he stood and embraced her. "Sure it is. Whoa, is that June? She looks just like you did but prettier." Max noted the magenta stripe in her hair and nodded to himself; it seemed that traditions were being passed down in more families than one.

Jasmine elbowed Max in the stomach, almost doubling the larger man over. "Watch it, smart guy, I can still whoop up on you like nobody's business."

"Will!" June cried happily. She lunged forward and yanked Will out of her seat, wrapping her arms around Will's waist and lifting her bodily off the floor in a big hug. "How's my favorite Guar-girl?"

Will smiled awkwardly. "Uh, whoa oh oh, doing great, June. Could you set me down? People are staring." Susan was particularly surprised to see her daughter being hefted easily by a girl nearly a head shorter than her. June realized what she was doing and hastily but gently placed Will down on the floor.

"I see your granddaughter has your strength, Jasmine," Yan said, trying to do damage control over the mishap. "You recall, Susan, how she bragged about carrying me around as children? She was not much bigger than June herself, too."

"Um, yes, I recall." Susan tried to dismiss that nagging feeling of not knowing something she should.

"Hey, June!" Hay Lin said from her Jake Greeting Spot. "Welcome to Heatherfield!" The other Guardians greeted her as well with hugs and involuntary teases of the colored strand of her hair; June smiled tolerantly of their continued fascination. "Hey, Ray Ray! How's my hero?"

Ray Ray's chest puffed up so high his face was pointing toward the ceiling. "Ah, you know... making the world safe for pretty ladies like you, Hay Hay."

Hay Lin chuckled. "Nice to know you're on the case!" The Orchid Bayers were seated by Yan next to the Tennysons and introduced.

"You're from Orchid Bay?" Gwen asked. "I hear it's beautiful down there!"

"Well, we like to think so," June said, "But we're kinda biased. Still, you'd rather be here in Heatherfield right now; the humidity down there is rough on out-of-towners."

Irma sipped her water and grimaced at the baking sidewalk outside the window. "Yeah, we have a 'dry' heat going here. We're like Death Valley on the coast."

"Where on Earth is Lao?" Jasmine asked, frowning. "He left the station right before we did."

"Traffic is bad this time of day," Yan assured her. "If he took a cab, chances are he's caught in a jam."

"Doesn't he have a cell phone?" Max asked. "The man lives in a electronics shop for crying out loud..."

"Yes, but the last one was destroyed. I haven't gotten the new one's number yet." Yan sighed. "We really must try to keep in touch better. With the technology of the day there's really no excuse."

Max nodded. "True. He was out of town when we passed through New York or I would have stopped by to see the Longs. Speaking of, I never even met Lao's grandson. Is he anything like Susan? Susan Long is Lao's daughter," he explained to Susan Vandom.

Yan grinned at Hay Lin. "In ways. I understand that Jacob is very much into the hippity hop music." The kids chuckled at the slipup.

Hay Lin sighed heavily. "Hip hop, Grandma. _Hip_... hop."

"Oh, my bad. I was tripping big time, yes?"

"...yeah."

* * *

"...and so then I had to drag me-self through ten miles of the Cyranian Swamp with a bum leg and the worst case of fleas I'd ever had," Monroe continued as Jake lugged the dog's carrier under his arm. "I mean, there was standing room only all over me body, they was so tightly packed together. Bit awkward around my bits, if you know what I mean... but finally, I got the Scrolls of Mozenrath to the Te Xuan Ze and the world was saved, thanks in part to this humble dog just doing his duty. Ah, yeah, that's me. Humble as the hills." 

Compared to some of Fu Dog's stories, it was downright credible. "Wow, that's... real impressive, Mr. Monroe."

"Ah, thanks, lad. And just Monroe; I never stand on ceremony. I never stand at all, actually; too much strain on the hind quarters. Don't want to blow a glute, you know. Hurts like a devil when you walk."

Jake groaned softly and not entirely from the heat. "I'll bet it does...hey! The _Silver Dragon_! Thank god! Ah, I mean: _oh look, we're here_."

After sorting out that Jake and crew had met up with the Te Xuan Ze herself and unknowingly exchanged animal guardians the New Yorkers had double-timed it to the restaurant, Monroe telling old war stories the entire time. Or actually just one very_ long_ war story. Jake was incredibly happy to see the restaurant and he wasn't even thinking of Hay Lin at the moment.

"I can't believe that girl is some kinda Buffy-The-Vampire-Slayer butt-kicker," Trixie said in disbelief. "She's even younger than us! She's pre-training bra! Hey, you think she'll show me some moves? We can practice on Spud."

Spud gulped at the thought of being used as a practice dummy. "Oh, man, do you think I might've made her mad? I'm too young to be slain! Maybe not too cute, I mean, gotta be realistic here, but definitely too young! I never got to see Paris! And I still have my mime costume..."

Jake chuckled. "You didn't do anything wrong, Spud, and the Te Xuan Ze doesn't do killing; mostly they just banish evil beings to the Underworld. Besides, she seemed pretty cool, real Cali-mellow. I just can't believe I didn't realize who she was; some dragon, huh?"

"Don't be too hard on yourself, lad," Monroe assured him. "The power of the Te Xuan Ze isn't supposed to grab attention. It would be hard to be sneak up on the forces of evil if it were."

"Hey, thanks, Monroe." The dog wasn't that bad after all. "I appreciate that..."

"And it's bloody hot out here to boot! Can't even _think_ in this oven of a town! Hurry up, lad, I'm boiling in this box!" Jake could hear slurping noises as the dog drained his water, then noises of an empty bottle being suctioned for every last drop of moisture. "Oh, dammit! I'm bone-dry!"

Once again, Jake Long found himself being ordered around by a talking dog. The American Dragon sighed and led the way to the front doors; he was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the other guy rounding the opposite corner until he bumped into him. Jake was about to apologize when a chill ran up his spine while it held hands with a bolt of electricity. He looked at the kid in front of him and was surprised that he looked perfectly normal. Because he sure didn't _feel_ normal.

Danny was staring at Jake, too, but what he felt were cold flames shooting from his head to his toes. Their respective parties stared at them as they stared at each other, uncertain as to what was going on.

Finally, they shook their dazes off and tried to apologize only to end up speaking over each other. "Sorry, man I..."

"I should have been..."

"No, it's my bad..."

Sam cleared her throat and motioned for Danny to shut it, which he obeyed obediently yet grudgingly. "If you two try to keep apologizing, we'll be here all day. Danny, say you're sorry."

Danny glared at her even as he complied. "Sorry about that." He noticed the New Yorker's bags. "Here, let me get the door."

"Thanks, Danny," Jake said gratefully. Whatever he was, he was fairly decent. "I'm Jake. Jake Long."

"Danny Pha-Fenton." Why had he nearly slipped up? He only used his code name when dealing with ghosts, which this kid was definitely not. What he was, Danny couldn't say. "So, uh, back from vacation?"

"Naw, just visiting." Jake grinned as they entered the restaurant. "We're from New York, actually. Thought it was my place, huh?"

Danny flushed in embarrassment. "Uh, yeah, sort of."

"Eh, honest mistake. The outfit goes with the restaurant, anyway..."

Jake was interrupted by a perky feminine voice. "Welcome to the _Silver Dragon_. Table for... wow, there's a lot of you..."

Jake did a double-take. "H-H-Hay? Is that you?" He knew it was her even as he said it but... "Dang, girl you grew up _nice_!" slipped out before Jake could stop himself.

Hay Lin quirked an eyebrow at the boy who knew her name and may have just hit on her."Uh, do I know... Jake? Jake! Jake, it's you!" Hay Lin dropped her menus and gave a high-pitched squeal that caused everyone within twenty feet to wince. She threw her arms around Jake's neck and squeezed with surprisingly force; Jake dropped Monroe's carrier and his luggage, the carrier squealing out a Scottish curse. "It is you, Jake, it is! You look so different but... not! I recognize your hair!"

Jake, caught in Hay Lin's deathgrip, was both happy and shocked; mostly shocked. Unable to decide where to put his hands, his arms waved out to the sides like a bug pinned by a needle. Finally, he just patted her shoulders.

"Smooth, Jay," Trixie dead-panned. She stood corrected, though; not only was the girl not Hefty-sized, she looked like two pairs of chop sticks with a head. And she was cute and friendly, too; no wonder Jake acted like she was the complete package. Trixie would have bet her allowance for a year that she could cook like them Iron Chefs on TV, big knives and all. Ooh, better get grandma's name right first time out, then.

"Wow, the service sure is friendly," Sam said as she observed Jake Long being crushed by a young waitress. He may have been a relative she hadn't seen in a long time, judging from the intimacy of the crushing.

Tucker appraised the girl and nodded to himself as he decided on a plan of action. "When its our turn, let _me_ in front." Sam bopped him on the beret. "Geez, okay, you can go, Sam. Didn't know you swung that way." Another bop on the beret. "Ow!"

"Sam, quit hitting Tucker," Danny said calmly. "You know he never learns his lesson, anyway."

"You're right." She bopped him again.

"What was that for?" Tucker asked, rubbing his head. Girl could _hit_.

"Extra credit." Tucker glared at her while Sam turned her attention back to the reunion.

Hay Lin finally released Jake and was giving him the once-over look people give to those they haven't seen in a long time. "Look at you, Jake! You look really cool, well, you look a little warm in that sweatshirt, actually, but you know what I mean..."

"Uh, thanks." Jake absently scratched his back to check for wings; seeing Hay again was such a shock to the system he nearly transformed in sheer reflex. She was, no joke, not the little girl he remembered. "But you, Hay, you... you've gotten downright _scorching_." When it came to talking to fine girls, honesty always seemed to have the best compliments.

Hay Lin giggled. "Oh, thanks! You're still a sweetie! Oh, you guys, over here!" Hay Lin motioned to the other girls who sidled over. "Jake, these are my best friends in the entire world... and then some."

Jake recognized one of them. "Hey, Irmie, right?"

"Ir_ma_, actually," Irma said with a slight grimace at Cornelia's smug smile. "Good to see you again, Jake."

"Oh, _ha_, right." _Oooohhh, not the best second-first impression._

Hay Lin giggled, though. "So you remember Irma. This is Will, Taranee, and Cornelia." The teens exchanged greetings. "Who are your friends?"

"Trixie Carter," Trixie said as she introduced herself. "This is Arthur Spudinski, but he goes by Spud. He does the one name thing."

"Hello, ladies, or should I say... W.I.T.C.H.!" The girls started and gaped at him, Hay Lin stuttering for an explanation. "Your names! Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin! It's an acronym deal! Are you guys _superheroes_?" Spud winked at them.

The girls stared at him, then began to laugh nervously. "Nope," Hay Lin said with a smile, "we're just normal, average, everyday girls." Jake was suddenly struck with a memory of Hay Lin fibbing to her father about who broke a vase. She had worn the exact same expression she had on now.

Max, Yan, and Jasmine greeted Lao Shi warmly as Susan embraced Maddie and smiled at Jack. "Welcome to Heatherfield, you two! I'm sorry it's so hot right now..." Susan began.

"Oh, don't worry about us, Sue," Maddie assured her, "Our jumpsuits are climate-controlled. It was Jack's invention," she added with a smile at her husband.

Jack's ample porpotions swelled with pride. "Thanks, sweetie! Of course, it means I don't get to see you in a tube top as much!"

Maddie looked both flattered and scandalized at this statement. "_Jack_! Well, ahem... oh, is that Wilma!? She's grown up so much!"

"I know. Will?" Will turned and looked at her mother. "Do you remember the Fentons? It's been a long time, I know..."

"Little Will!" To Danny and Jazz's horror, Jack scooped up Will under her arms and held her up in the air. "It's me, Uncle Jack! Wow, you sure don't look like a boy anymore!"

Will, understandably, was taken by surprise by the greeting, but strangely not afraid of the big man with the booming voice. Maybe it was her Guardian senses telling her that Jack possessed a gentle heart within his large frame. That, and there were lots of eyewitnesses in the restaurant, all of whom were getting a good look at the spectacle. "Uh, thanks, Mr. Fenton... ummmm… Uncle Jack?"

"Jack! Put her down!" Maddie urged her husband. Jack looked slightly sheepish as he placed Will back on the floor. "I'm sorry, Will, Jack's a little excitable."

Will grinned. "It's okay. It's always nice when someone's happy to see you."

"Of course we're happy to see you, Wilma!" Will winced slightly at the name. "Oh, I mean, Will. This is our son Danny and our daughter Jazz, and Sam and Tucker are friends of Danny. You probably don't remember them since you were so little..."

Will squinted at the Fenton children, the son in particular. "Er, I think I do... from... somewhere." Tucker whispered something in Danny's ear that caused him to elbow his friend in the arm. "I definitely do..."

"Could you look after them, Will?" Susan asked. "Maddie, Jack, and I will be over here catching up if you need us."

"Uh, sure. Not that it's dangerous in here or anything," she added to the Amity Parkers.

"Unless Caleb's cooking," Irma added. Caleb shook his head and muttered something about "picky Earth girls" that caused Cornelia to step on his foot. "So, I take it you're a Samantha and not a Tuckerina?" she asked Sam.

Sam shuddered at the use of her full name. "Just Sam, please. Samantha sounds like a girl that wears frilly dresses and pearls. I don't _do_ pearls. Unless they're black."

"Gotcha. At least you're not like Red here; she's Wilhelmina, or Wilma, if you really want to irritate her."

"That's why I remembered your name!" Jazz said excitedly. "You're just like the _Flintstones_ character!"

Will smirked and turned to the Water Guardian. "Just so it doesn't seem clever later, whenever Irma calls my name she's going to say 'Willllll-maaaaa!' just like Fred does."

The assorted teens laughed at that, except for Irma who simply said, "I'm getting predictable, apparently. I always thought you reminded me of Strawberry Shortcake, Boss." Will glared at her supposed best friend for saying the "s" word. "Oh, geez, you're not that short..."

Tucker held his arms out expectantly. After a few seconds he mock-pouted and asked, "What, no hug?" To everyone's surprise (including Tuck's) a giggling Hay Lin actually gave him one. "Thanks! I bet this place is way better than anything in our hometown! Great name, friendly service, and the food smells great! I'm Tuckard Foley, but everyone just calls me Tucker." He turned to Will. "Is it true that you and Danny took baths together? That might be why you remember him."

"Tucker!" Danny growled, his narrowed eyes momentarily flashing green.

Will blinked and blushed. "Excuse me?"

"You took baths together?" Hay Lin said, her voice rising into the "Awwww" pitch she was legendary for. "That... is... so... _precious_! Oh, do you have pictures?! Hey, Jake, didn't we do that when you were here last time?" Jake chuckled weakly and tried to hide his face.

Danny glared at Tucker. "I will get you for this, Tuck." Tucker gulped and grinned weakly as he realized that he'd just earned the ire of someone with superpowers. The last time Danny promised to get him he'd found himself standing in the lunchroom with his pants dropped to his ankles, after Danny had possessed him and made him sing the "Oscar Meyer Wiener" song. Mr. Lancer had given him detention for a month but, surprisingly, his popularity surged from the sheer audacity of the act. That was the only reason he didn't suck Danny into the ghost-catching Fenton Thermos and toss it in a river.

Though some may accuse Cornelia Hale of being somewhat ditzy when it came to matters not relating to clothes or figure skating, in truth her keen eye and attention to detail (and the cynicism that came with dealing with monsters disguised as booksellers) allowed her to perform an usually accurate estimate of people. As she inspected Will's old bath buddy and his friends something wasn't tracking with them.

On a first glance they looked just like the teen archetypes of Mr. Average, Techno Geek, and Goth Chick, but certain details seemed out of character. Sam's eyes were intelligent and confident, nothing at all like the blank glares of the goths at the Sheffield Institute the Guardians attended; truth be told, she held herself a lot like Cornelia did. Tucker wore his gadgets the way Caleb carried his weapons and shield, like they were an extension of himself and not a passing interest; this was a person who was truly the master of his element. And Danny... it was hard to say, but there was something about his face that seemed primed to change at a moment's notice.

Whether the others had noticed she wasn't sure, but the part of her that was a Guardian was perking up and paying attention to the new arrivals. Jake Long and his friends seemed like standard models as well (the Hip Hoppers and the Out There Guy) but again, something about the way they moved suggested maturity born of conflict, the same way the Guardians walked these days. And what was the deal with Long's hair? Not only was it sticking straight up, it had a green tint to it like a really smooth dye job. So smooth in fact that Cornelia knew it was plain impossible to do something like it, the only only explanation being that it was actually _real_.

If someone looked at Cornelia's face, she would appear to be appraising Sam's dark yet tasteful miniskirt-black top ensemble instead of evaluating possible threats. Cornelia, however, could do both. She deduced that the threat level these new kids presented seemed low if at all and that Sam had a real knack for color coordination for someone that wore mostly black; the small violet oval on her shirt really brought out her eyes and the green and purple stipes on her skirt looked particularly good to a Guardian of Candracar.

June had taken Monroe out of his carrier and was scratching his ears as she apologized to him. Monroe wore a wounded expression but seemed to be enjoying the attention too much to complain. Jake, with Hay Lin on his arm, approached June with a pained expression. "I'm sorry I jacked your dog, Ms. uhm..."

"Juniper Kim Lee," the Te Xuan Ze said in a friendly tone as she offered Jake her free hand, "But I prefer June. Hey, don't worry about the mix up. The carriers look the same, the initials... personally, I'm just glad you were there when I needed to go to the bathroom. " The three teens laughed at that. "Besides, you're making Hay Lin a very happy girl right now and that's good by me."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "You two know each other already?"

"Yep. Let's just say that Hay and her girls helped me out with a... barrier in my life. Your dog's upstairs asleep, by the way, and snoring like a stampede to boot. You must be the other student studying under Mrs. Lin?"

"Uh, yeah," Jake replied uneasily. "Jake Long. From New York." He had forgot to ask his Grandpa if Hay knew about the dragon thing. A sudden panicky thought occurred to him: if Hay didn't know, would she freak if she found out? Jake's gut said no, but doubt still lingered. "Cultural thing, huh?"

June shrugged. "That's what I was told. Not that Ah-Mah was forthcoming with the info. Did your grandfather mention anything?

"'Fraid not. Don't you love it when they get all quiet and then spring something on ya?"

"Oh, yeahhhhh..." June and Hay Lin said in total agreement. Jake looked at Hay Lin in surprise; how did she know about that sort of thing? Hay Lin didn't notice as she glanced around the restaurant. "Geez, it's getting crowded down here. Let's get your stuff to your rooms. Caleb, can you help with the bags? I'll fix you something special later if you do..."

Caleb grinned wryly. "One day I'm going to get tired of your meals. But not today." As the older boy helped Trixie with her bags, Jake raised an eyebrow at the exchange. Was that Hay Lin's BF? Not that he was jealous, nah, but he had hoped to catch up with Hay a little while he was here. With the Calvin Klein model over there around, that was looking to be hard to do.

"Oh, Caleb!" Cornelia said. "About this weekend..."

Caleb smiled slyly at his girlfriend. "I've already cleared it with Elyon. I'm all yours, Miss Hale." Cornelia kissed his cheek happily, causing him to blush lightly. Jake chuckled in relief.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Hay Lin said as they ascended the stairs with June, Trixie, Spud, and Caleb behind them.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I guess. For a minute there I thought he was your... you know."

Hay Lin made an amused face. "Oh, no! Caleb's my 'big brother'... W.I.T.C.H.'s big brother really. Well, except Cornelia, of course. He's staying in Heatherfield for the summer so he can be with Corny and the rest of us. He stays in the basement... don't worry, we fixed it up for him. He's going to be a big help because he can cover for Grandma while she's teaching you and June."

"Ah. So, who _is_ your boyfriend?"

Hay Lin blushed. "Now what makes you think I have a boyfriend, Mr. Long?!"

"_Psshhh_, you kidding? Fine lady like you? Mrs. Lin must be beating them off at the doors."

Hay Lin giggled. "Oh, Jake, you haven't changed a bit!"

Jake's smile faltered. "Well, maybe I changed a little... but you didn't answer the question, Ms. Lin."

"Er, there is this guy, Eric..." Hay Lin looked embarrassed. "I'm not really good at that sort of thing, so I can't just say it." She looked at Jake with mock anger. "You're putting me on the spot, meanie! What about you, big shot? How many girlfriends do you have back in the Big Apple?"

"Well, just one… her name's Rose. We're, uh, we're pretty tight… been through a lot together."

"That's great! Rose… flowers make great names! Well, for girls, anyway. Right, June?"

"I got no complaints," June said, "But I don't feel very flower-y. You doing okay, leaving her behind?" she asked Jake.

Jake shrugged. "Not really, but it's gotta be done, y'know? No one else can do it but me." June smiled and nodded as she realized she had found a kindred spirit. "'Sides, it's a long-distance relationship, anyway, but I don't mind."

June looked at the small pyramid-shaped charm on Jake's wrist. "You see each other in your dreams, right?"

"Um…" Jake realized the Te Xuan Ze would know about dream charms and he smiled. "You could say that. But she wants me to give my all while Mrs. Lin is teaching me, so we're keeping the contact down. Ain't thrilled about it, but you know how it is."

Hay Lin smiled and patted him on the cheek. "It's alright, Jake. I'll make you sure you enjoy your visit here. Wow, a whole month! Last time we only had a week; can you imagine the trouble we'll get into now?" Hay Lin realized that violated the Rules of Catchphrases, but what the heck?

* * *

For the third time today in the _Silver Dragon_ a large man was lifting an old associate into the air. This time was no "small" feat, as the person being lifted was Max Tennyson. 

"Max!" Jack Fenton cried out as he bear-hugged the older man off the ground. "What are you doing here, old man?! It's been years!"

Max grunted as his vertebrae shifted against Jack's grip. "It's... good to see you, too... Jack." Jack finally placed him down. "Oof... still strong as ever. Like the jumpsuit, by the way."

"Thanks! I may not have nanotechnolgy, but I've made lots of improvements to the old design..." Jack trailed off. "Er, not that you ever wore anything like this, of course." The nutty inventor winked at Max with what he thought was a sly deception.

Max sighed inwardly as he realized Jack Fenton was still Jack Fenton. "Yeah... I see you two finally tied the knot, Maddie. I'm sorry I couldn't make the ceremony, I was... out of the country at the time."

Maddie embraced Max more gently than her husband had. "Oh, that's alright. It wasn't that big of an occasion, anyway. We just couldn't wait, you know?"

Jack grinned. "She was helpless before my animal magnetism." Maddie and Susan laughed while Danny and Jazz made the appropriately disgusted faces.

"Your dad sure is... emotional," Will said to Danny. "In a good way. He's very happy, I mean."

"Thanks. That's the nicest way it's been put. I'm sorry about him grabbing you before..." Danny began.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't that bad, and it was kind of sweet of him despite not seeing me since I was a baby."

Danny chuckled. "Yeah, once you're in with my dad, you're in for life. No escape, I'm afraid."

"Oh, come on, he's not that bad..." Will lightly thumped her fist against Danny's sleeve in a surprisingly defensive gesture for his father. The second her small fist came into contact with his arm Will was overcome with a mostly familiar dizziness.

Her eyes rolled back into her head and she began to fall, her body cut loose from the strings of her mind. She was dimly aware of arms catching her and knew that it was Danny because the dizziness continued. In the backs of her eyes she saw green flashes mixed with white lights until a face formed in the dark, indistinct and distantly recognizable.

The dizziness abated even though she was still in Danny's arms, like she was growing accustomed to whatever it was. "Will? Are you okay? What's wrong?" he asked as her eyes opened. The other Guardians, including a frightened-looking Hay Lin, were clustered around her protectively. "Will?"

Will sucked in a breath and coughed. "I'm fine, just... it happens sometimes. It must be the heat." She smiled weakly. "Do you make lots of girls light-headed?''

Danny chuckled. "Only during chemistry class. And a few guys, to be fair."

Will gave a snort of laughter. "Let's make sure we're not in a lab at the same time. We could so some serious damage together." For a regular-sized guy, Danny had some strong arms. Likely he got them from his dad.

"Sounds like fun. Here..." Danny placed an arm under her back as he helped her to her feet; it remained there to steady her as she got her footing. "If I did something wrong, I'm sorry."

"No, no, it wasn't you..." she lied, unsure as to what else to say. Susan had noticed her daughter looking faint and rushed over, placing a hand on her forehead and asking frantic questions. "I'm okay, mom, I just... got too hot."

Susan frowned. " If you say so. Still, I should get you home just in case." Will was about to protest but decided against it; her mother looked genuinely worried. And she was as stubborn as Will herself. "Thank you, Danny, for catching her."

"No problem, Mrs. Vandom. Fentons have to have fast reflexes."

Susan remembered Jack's experiments she had attended in college. "I hear that. Speaking of your family, I've already invited Jack and Maddie over for dinner tonight. I'm afraid it's only going to be pizza and soft drinks..." As honored guests, Susan wouldn't feel right poisoning her friends and their children with her cooking.

Danny smiled. "Mrs. V, we live on pizza and soda at FentonWorks." Considering the times when their food had been given life by various inventions, eating out was much safer. That'll be just fine, ma'am."

Susan was surprised at Danny's polite manners; Maddie had described him as somewhat surly when it came to adults. Most likely it was a motherly characteristic of assuming the worst; Will herself seemed to be handling the eccentric Fentons very well, all things considered. "I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully I can get some takeout from Mrs. Lin, too. Will eats at the _Dragon _so often I'm worried she'll turn into a fortune cookie."

The kids laughed at that, except for Will who simply pouted. "Mom, I don't eat that much..." Not that she looked like she gorged; though still growing, Will was what Jake would call a "shorty". Cornelia had often complimented her friend on her "lithe" form and powerful metabolism. Will would have actually preferred a few pounds to round her figure out; Irma, a true friend, had offered a few of hers if she ever wanted them.

"It does smell good in here," Danny commented about the _Dragon_. "Way better than our eating places back in Amity Park."

"Oh yeah, you're from the ghost town!" Hay Lin remembered. "So you must know Danny Phantom! Well, not personally, I guess..."

Danny couldn't help but grin. "I've seen him around a few times."

"He's really cool, isn't he?"

Danny fought to keep from laughing. "Yeah, he is. He's real popular with the kids at Casper High." Sam and Tucker gave each other amused glances.

"Will's a huge fan of his, aren'tcha Will?" Will glared at Hay Lin. "Oh, you know you are! You have a wallpaper of him on your desktop!" Will's glare doubled in intensity as the other kids laughed at her discomfort. Danny, however, was mentally pumping his fist.

"Don't anyone tell her boyfriend about that," Taranee said. "No guy wants to have to compete with a superhero."

Danny's mental self stopped pumping and started pouting. Wonderful. The first girl he ever flirted with successfully was taken. It figured. Well, she lived hundreds of miles away anyhow, so maybe it was for the best.

"Wait a minute," Irma said, staring at Danny intently. "Fen-tom..." Danny, Sam and Tucker gulped simultaneously. "You know, you look real familiar, and we've never met before."

Danny grinned shakily. "Well, I do take after my dad." It was a last ditch save to compare himself to his father. "Hair and eyes and all."

"Hmmm... if you say so."

"Kinda funny, you having the same name as Phantom," Jake said nonchalantly. _Kinda funny, like that feeling I got when we bumped into each other_.

Danny shrugged and tried not to let his nervousness show. "Not really. They're like fourteen Daniels at my school alone." It was both a diversionary tactic and the truth. "Most everyone calls me 'Fenton'."

"Or 'Fenturkey'," Tucker said with a grin.

"Or 'Fenturd'," Sam added. Hay Lin made a disgusted but amused face.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Only Dash ever calls me those. That's the best he can come up with, anyway. At least he's a decent quarterback, 'cause he'll never make it as a comedian."

Jake laughed. "So you got a dumb QB, too? Please tell me he's not blonde."

Danny's eyes lit up. "You're kidding, right? You, too?"

"Yeah, the 'Bradster'!" Jake's suspicions were forgotten in the moment of revelation. "Oh, man, it's like they're cloning clichés."

"This is great!" Hay Lin interjected. "Most of us have just met and we're already connecting!"

"It probably helps that our parents and grandparents knew each other," Gwen said. "Grampa kept calling it a 'jamboree of young and old' on the way here."

"What _is_ a jamboree, anyway?" Ben asked.

Hay Lin shrugged. "Well, this is, I guess. I know June and Jake are here to study, and the Fentons and Tennysons won't be here too long, but we should really try to make plans. W.I.T.C.H..." she giggled slightly as she said the team name in front, "...is going to the convention this weekend. Maybe we could plan a group trip to see Danny's booth!"

"Uh, it's not really _my_ booth," Danny said, not all that eager to show the Fenton Insta-Booth to his new associates. "But, uh, we'd love to have you guys visit it."

Spud pumped his fist in the air. "Alright, real ghost-fighting equipment! This is gonna be awesome! So, Dan-My-Man, have you seen some action on the ecto-front?"

"Well, if you live in Amity park you're pretty much guaranteed to," Danny responded. "But I generally leave that sort of thing to my parents. And Phantom, of course."

Will sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose; everyone looked at her in concern. "Maybe you should lie down upstairs," Hay Lin said, "while your mom catches up with the Fentons. You can leave when you feel better."

"That might be a good idea," Susan agreed. "I'll be down here if you need me, pumpkin." Will sighed again at the pet name.

The stomachs of the Amity Parkers and the New Yorkers growled simultaneously. "And you all need to be fed! C'mon, let's get you seated." Hay Lin led them off to empty tables, leaving Caleb, June, Ray Ray and the other Guardians by the stairs.

"You know," Irma began, "That boy is almost a dead ringer for that Phantom guy. I'd bet an arm and a leg he's got some connection to it."

"Seriously?" Cornelia asked. That would fit with her examination of Mr. Average. "I thought there was something different about Fenton. He doesn't move like a normal kid. He moves like... well, you, Caleb." Caleb quirked an eyebrow at her, not sure what to think of the comparison. "I meant that in a good way."

Irma gave a "huh" of amazement at Cornelia's agreeing with her; hey, it happened. "I know, he's always glancing around like some sort of commando; I mean, he just sat with his back to the wall like a gunslinger in those Western movies. You just have to look at him... no, _don't_ look at _him_!"

Caleb still glanced at where the Fentons were eating. "Are you telling me that scrawny kid is some kind of undead crimefighter?" Earth just seemed to get weirder the longer he stayed on it.

"Oh, come on! It fits perfectly! The name, the location... off the top of my head I'd say he's an experiment the Fentons were working on, a ghost-human mix or something. I have an eye for faces."

"Among other things," Cornelia said sourly. Irma had yet to cease checking out Caleb's body. She couldn't fault her for it, of course...

Will frowned. "Don't you think that's stretching it a little, Irma?"

Irma lolled her eyes over to Will. "And exhibit C... our resident DP _Ph_angirl, who I might add is the worst flirt in our little group, was practically clawing the Fenton boy's jeans off!"

The look on Will's face was so priceless Taranee had to take a photo of it. "What?! I was not... I am not..." Will's brain froze, then locked onto a single question. "I thought Taranee was the worst flirt?"

"Nope," Taranee said with a grin. "That's all you, Will." Will was annoyed that Taranee was so proud of her position of second place (it was actually third, behind Hay Lin), but that wasn't her biggest problem at the moment.

"I wasn't flirting with him, I was... just... making conversation. Our parents are friends after all and I am dating someone who, I might add, is as close to perfect as it gets." Will summoned an image of Matt in her mind and felt the familiar warmth blossom in her chest. Why would she want anyone else? Nothing against Danny, of course. If she wasn't... but, she was. So, no.

"It's okay, Will," Cornelia assured her, "there's nothing wrong with a little flirting even if you're committed."

Caleb frowned. "There isn't?" He wasn't sure he liked the idea of Cornelia flirting with other guys. Alright, so he was damn sure he didn't like the idea.

"Well, it is for you, pal," Cornelia said. "You're a guy, and guys can never just talk; they always gotta have something in the end."

Caleb shrugged, having learned by now not to argue with "Girl Logic." "Whatever."

"Have what?" Ray Ray asked. No one answered him.

Will scratched her head bashfully. "So, okay, _maybe_ it wasn't just conversation. Thanks for pointing that out; I'll probably be eaten up with guilt later for that, not that you heathens care. But how does that prove Danny's the Ghost Boy? He doesn't look like he can fight off ghosts with his bare hands." Because if he was Phantom, Will would likely embarrass herself in a display of flagrant and fanatical Phandom.

June smirked. "And I don't look like I can punch through concrete, but I can. And none of you look like interdimensional Guardians, but you are. I think its safe to say that appearances aren't everything."

"Try telling Corny that," Irma said in a low, mischievous voice.

"Don't call me Corny." That was this week's quota for that particular phrase; Irma was hoping for a new record.

Caleb broke back into the conversation. "Okay, so if this kid is what Irma thinks he is, why is he here in Heatherfield?"

"His parents, or maybe his... _creators_, are attending the convention," Taranee said. "Maybe that's all there is to it."

Caleb shook his head and tried to speak, but was interrupted by a long yawn. "_Yawwwwwnn_... Maybe, but you and I did some checking on this 'Phantom' when those 'ghosts' started appearing, remember? It turns out that he was involved in a string of robberies with other ghosts. He even attacked the mayor at a town meeting." Caleb was looking very smug, confident in his position that Danny Phantom Was No Good.

Instead of looking mollified at Danny (Phantom)'s smeared reputation, Will quirked an eyebrow contemptuously. "You think I don't know about that? _Please_. The robberies were linked to a Frederick Showenheimer, aka Freakshow, who could control ghosts _according to eye witnesses_. If Danny is a ghost or part-ghost, he would have been affected by whatever controlled them. We know all about mind control; remember the trance marcher horn and Enthrallment? And the assembly happened at a time when ghosts were possessing people all over Amity Park; is it really that big a stretch to think that the most important official in town would be possessed, too? And besides, I can list a dozen more cases where Phantom _saved_ lives." She paused. "And my printer likes him. If that's not proof enough..."

The others stared at her. Irma turned to Caleb and said, "Don't look now, captain, but I think you're gonna need a bigger boat." The movie reference was lost on Caleb, but he got the gist even as he yawned again. "Are you getting enough sleep?" Caleb muttered something about "Meridian-Earth time differences." "Cornelia, you're not..." Cornelia shot Irma a DON"T GO THERE IT WILL ONLY HURT YOU BADLY look.

"How do you know all that, Will?" Hay Lin asked in honest amazement, having returned halfway through Phantom's defense.

"Oh, well, there's a website about Phantom. I've... read a few pages. Here and there."

"Ten bucks says it's on her Favorites list," June said with a smirk.

"It is not! Well, OK, it is. Alright, forget that: if Danny is Phantom, what do we do about it? I mean, I'm sure he's a good guy; the fainting thing was weird, but it didn't have the evil aftertaste I'm used to getting. It kind of felt...er, fun."

"'_Fun_'?" Irma repeated, her mouth turning up into a rakish grin.

"Well... you know how when you were little you'd spin around in a circle to get dizzy? Because it felt like the whole room was twirling like an amusement park ride?" The others stared at her. "What, you didn't ever do that? Come on, Hay Lin, surely you did." Hay Lin nodded with an embarrassed grin. "Well, it was like that, with a lot of colors like a kaleidoscope, but mainly green and white."

"Far out, mon!" Irma said with a hippie/rastah drawl. "Will be tripping on the Fenton _boyyyyy_!"she added in a sing-song voice.

"Irma, sometimes I really want to slap you... but I'm just too woozy right now." Talking about Phantom seemed to bring back the less-fun aspects of what might have transpired with Danny. "Ooh..."

"Do you want me to carry you?" June asked the taller girl with obvious concern. The others stared at her. "Oh, right…"

"I'll be fine," Will assured her. "Still, maybe I should lay down." As they ascended the stairs she looked over at Danny, who was eating and talking animatedly with Jake at the same time. She tried to picture Danny with white hair and green eyes and found it to be a good match. Will mulled this over as she was led up the stairs by June and Hay Lin. What if she had just met her superhero idol? Only one thing was for certain if that was what had happened: her hair was a complete mess. _Crap_.

* * *

Author's Note: I used to spin around in a circle to get "drunk" when I was younger; it was cool to put that in there. Wouldn't recommend it, though, if you get dizzy easily. Or puke easy. 

Factoids: "Hay Hay" is used in the WITCH comics as a nickname for Hay Lin.

Episode References: Danny was under the mind-control of Freakshow in "Control Freaks" and dealt with a possessed town in "Ghost Enemy Number One." The Fentons' food has come to life in "Attack of the Killer Garage Sale" and "The Fright Before Christmas." Do not eat over at the Fentons if you can avoid it.

Spud was considering a career as a mime in "A Befuddled Mind."

The Scrolls of Mozenrath are a nod to the recurring villain on the Aladdin TV series. Or as fans of the show know him as Mr "I sacrificed my hand for evil, it hurt, boo hoo, prepare to die, street rat."

Will being compared to Wilma Flintstone I borrowed from "More Than A Game" by Utsukushii Kohana; check it out if you're into angsty older Guardians. Think I got the first "Strawberry Shortcake," though.

There's a Meridian, Mississippi, as well other cities with that name in the US. None of them have larveks, Passlings or pretty boy rebel leaders (to my knowledge.)


	4. More Than What Is Seen

Disclaimer: I don't own these shows or characters. Man, these things get old. Maybe if I did a little dance while I... ow! Okay, no dancing.

Author's Notes: Another long one, but its got some amusing conversations in it.

* * *

Chapter 4: More Than What is Seen

* * *

Danny watched Will walk up the stairs with a worried frown. Even having just met the girl he liked her already; she was nice, funny, cute in a slightly exotic way with her red hair and complexion, and she liked his family. _Actually_ liked his family; who knew it was possible? The idea that he may have had anything to do with her sudden illness was distressing. The only thing he had to go on this feeling was when he was holding Will and had felt slightly odd himself; the closest he could remember feeling like that before was when he transformed into Danny Phantom.

To describe it in one word: tingly. In three words: a good tingly, like a pleasant charge of static electricity . That may not have been Will's experience though. When Will's friends and Ray Ray walked toward their tables, Danny wasted no time in asking them, "Is Will feeling better?"

Irma waved his concern away. "Oh, yeah, she'll be fine. This actually does happen sometimes; Will's kind of the sensitive type and this heat is murder on everyone lately. Oh, don't get me wrong, she's no shrinking violet; my girl can be as tough as nails when she needs to be."

Danny smiled. "Yeah, I can imagine. So... when are you guys going to stop by the convention? It opens tomorrow night at nine."

"I guess Caleb and I can come by," Cornelia said, "if just for a little bit." Or longer, if there was a good make-out spot near the convention center. Irma shrugged her assent as well.

Taranee rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "I guess we can all go, but tonight we have to, er, babysit our siblings." Her eyes lit up with scholarly excitement. "I'm really looking forward to seeing your family's equipment, Danny. When I was researching ghosts-for a research paper-I visited the FentonWorks website. Nice layout, by the way."

"Thanks!" Tucker chirped. "I helped design it. If you want, we can arrange a private tour before the booth opens. Right, Mr. Fenton?"

Jack was trying (with great difficulty) to remove the fortune from a cookie. In his defense the small strip of paper was hard to grip with his large rubber glove-covered hands. "Oh, sure! If Maddie says it's okay." Maddie nodded her agreement as she took the cookie from Jack and slipped the fortune out for him.

"Playing to your strengths, Tuck?" Sam said sarcastically. "How under-handed."

Tucker_ pshawed _again. "Not at all, Sam; I'm just helping out another enthusiast. Besides, she already has a boyfriend."

Everyone gaped at Tucker; Taranee was particularly surprised. "How... how did you know about Nigel?"

"Are you kidding? Look at you; how could you _not _have a man?"

Taranee blushed. "Thank you, Tucker, you're sweet." Jake nodded his approval of the tactic and the delivery since even if Tucker was wrong, it still gave him an opening with Taranee; pretty fly for a technoguy.

Irma threw an arm proudly over Taranee's shoulders. "Yep, that's our T: beauty, brains, and..." She tugged lightly on Taranee's braid. "...beads. She's the smart one of W.I.T.C.H."

"Irma..." Taranee whined in embarrassment. "I'm not that smart... I got a B on our last history test before school let out." Only the Guardians knew she wasn't joking.

Jazz nodded thoughtfully. "Hmmm, community roles within a group for more effective planning and specialization. Fascinating."

Danny looked at his sister wryly. "Jazz thinks she's already a psychologist, complete with a degree. Watch out, she might try to shrink your head!"

"Actually, I'm doing a summer paper on clique roles," Jazz said, shooting a mandatory glare at her brother. "I've been looking for a group to use as subjects; do you think, er, _W.I.T.C.H._ would be interested in participating? It would look good if I got kids from outside of town to base it on, and the name is catchy..."

Irma scratched her head. "Well, I'm all for schoolwork as long as I'm not the one doing it." The kids laughed. "I don't see a problem with it, but Will generally calls the shots for group things."

"Aha! So Wilma-_Will_'s the Leader archetype. I'll ask her, then. So, you're the Humorist, Irma?"

"I'm the _what_? I'm not really into that kind of... oh, _humor_. The funny one, right. I like to think so. I guess that makes Hay Lin the creative one and Cornelia is the fashion diva. Hey, don't look so surprised, Corny; I never said you weren't good at something."

"Don't call me Corny." _That's one for the record_, Irma thought. "Well, we'd better be going. We're going to have a rough night ahead of us, me and Irma. Taranee's lucky; she has a nicer, cute older brother that just needs some TLC." Jazz's eyes lit up at the mention of a "cute older brother" in sheer reflex; she was smart, not dead.

Irma herself smirked with lust in her eyes. "Mmmmhmmm... I'd _love_to take care of Peter for you, T. I bet I could make him feel _way_ better..."

Taranee's eyes flared up. "Oh-no-you-won't! I want Peter to find a girl that isn't obsessed with his looks. Honestly, you two really need to grow up..." ..._and stop checking out my brother_.

Irma waved her hands defensively. "Hey, easy there, Spitfire! Just so you know I think Peter is a nice, mature guy... who is really, really, _really_ hot. You know, Jazz, Pete's about your age; maybe you could schedule a _private_ interview with him?" Jazz blushed as the others laughed.

Except for Taranee. "I give up; I just give up. See you nymphomaniacs later... and preferably not near my brother. Oh, except you, Jazz. You're the kind of girl I wouldn't mind hanging around my brother, unlike _these_ brazen huzzies." Irma and Cornelia gasped in mock-shock at the statement. "You heard me!"

"I'd like that!" Jazz said. "Maybe he could recommend a school. I've had a hard time deciding..."

"And don't forget to bring Peter, too!" Irma added. "We'll be talking about this day years from now when they're married and they'll say, 'Oh, thank you, Irma, for introducing me to the love of my life!'"

Jazz blushed harder and chuckled. "Just so you know, Taranee, my family's insane. If Peter doesn't know that beforehand, it's entrapment!"

"Well, we can be pretty crazy ourselves," Taranee stated. Irma snorted. "What? I can be crazy..."

_Oh, just wait until you see the booth_, Jazz thought. "Well, next to the Fentons, 'crazy' is the normal."

"We're not that bad," Danny defended. "We just... oh, fine, we're that bad. But if there are ghosts around you''d want my parents over the most normal people you can find."

"Normal is overrated and boring, anyway," Sam agreed. Her parents, though she loved them, were so normal they crossed over into_ ab_normal; that was probably why she was an Honorary Fenton. "Are you sure you guys can't stay any longer?"

Taranee looked at her watch. "Well, I do have a little time... oh, no, I forgot! The game's on now; Peter's going to be jumping off the couch every time they score a point!"

Irma smiled devilishly. "You know, I could sit in Pete's lap to keep him... _occupied_..."

"_Ahhhhhhhhhh_!" Taranee said in a tone like a buzzer. "Don't _even_ finish that sentence. I gotta go, see you guys later!

When Taranee left, Sam said, "Protective much?"

Irma shrugged and glanced pointedly at Cornelia. "Well, it's not like Peter hasn't been taken advantage of before by a girl." Cornelia shot Irma a particularly nasty look back. "Ooh, that's a good one, made my skin crawl! Let's get going, Blondie; once more into the trenches, eh?"

Cornelia nodded as their camaraderie was renewed. "It's too bad Lilian wasn't a boy; we could have double-teamed them at their sleepovers."

"Are you kidding? I bet if Lily was a Liam, you'd be best friends." Irma turned to the others. "Every boy loves Corny, even the ones that don't like girls; they can talk fashion with her. It's the other girls that hate her for being so gosh-darn pretty. Except us, of course."

"Don't... call... me... Corny." _That's two_. "_Irmie_! Anyway, it was nice meeting you all; see you at the convention." The visitors said their goodbyes as the three Guardians left, giving June hugs and ruffling Ray Ray's hair affectionately as they went. The now-grinning youngster took a seat next to Ben and went to work on a napkin dispenser.

Jake shook his head in amused disbelief. "That Irma hasn't changed much since I last met her. I bet she still throws as hard, too."

"I just wanna say I _love_ this city," Tucker said. "You don't see many girls like that in Amity Park. Irma is pretty funny and Taranee's got some fire in her I didn't expect. And Cornelia, she's real cute and chic, but not snobby at all. I see a girl like that walking down the street and I don't even bother trying to get a date with her since they're usually mean as guard dogs. But you know, I think I'd like to get turned down by them just once, just to say I tried." The others laughed at his admission.

Even Sam agreed with Tucker. "Yeah, Blondie's no Paulina; she was actually polite. And I think she liked my outfit. She's, ah, she's alright with me, I guess." That was sort of hard for Sam to admit; in theory, Cornelia Hale was everything she stood against but, spirits of darkness help her, the goth didn't hate the blonde bombshell on sight. She still thought it unlikely that they had anything in common, though.

"Of course you like her," Danny said matter-of-factly. "She reminds me of you." The look on Sam's face was so funny Taranee would have taken a picture. "You're both really confident, I mean."

"So, Danny," Ben asked eagerly, "I can call you Danny, right? Okay. You've seen a lot of ghosts, right? Are they all nasty and slimy with gunk pouring out of them?" Ray Ray took interest at this, temporarily abandoning his napkin-related mischief; he and Ben apparently had similar interests.

Danny shook his head. "Not all of them. Some used to be people, others were animals, and some were just born ghosts. Green skin and red eyes for the most part, but a few of them could be people walking down the street. Right, Jazz? You practically went steady with one."

Jazz held her hands up defensively. "Hey, how was I supposed to know that Johnny was a ghost? I'm not that kind of Fenton." She stared meaningfully at Danny until he squirmed to her satisfaction. "At least Phantom saved me from him before I was possessed by his girlfriend."

"What_ about_ Phantom?" Gwen asked with a smirk that seemed out of place on the young girl's face. "Is he as cute in person as he is in the pictures?"

Jazz laughed, not so much at the question as the sickly expression on Danny's face. "Well, I don't know how old he really is, but he looks a little young for me."

"Oh, man, how cool would it be to be a ghost!" Ray Ray said excitedly. "You could shoot beams, go invisible, fly..."

Ben nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, that is... would be cool."

Jake slurped down some noodles and sighed contently; Mrs. Lin's grub was still good after all these years. "Seems most of these spooks cause nothing but trouble. What's up with that?"

"Well, it is kinda true," Danny answered, secretly liking his position as the ghost expert in this group. "But not all of them are bad. Some are alright, it's just the ones you hear about most are the kind that hurt people and destroy things, like the mad scientist Technus or Ember."

"Ember Maclaine?" Gwen asked. "Oh, I have her song on my computer! 'You will remember my nammmmme!'" The Amity Parkers winced at the lyrics. "Oh, sorry. I'm not much of a singer."

"No kidding," Ben deadpanned as he cleaned out his ear with his pinky. Ray Ray offered him a napkin to help or to make spitballs to shoot at Gwen later.

"No, it's not that," Danny assured Gwen. "It's just we have bad memories of her concerts; she also tried to kidnap our parents once. We're more Dumpty Humpty fans, anyway." Sam nodded her agreement; Tucker was punching buttons on his PDA and squinting at Jake as if trying to place his face. "So, Ben, Gwen, you guys are traveling the country, right? Have you run into any ghosts?"

Ben shook his head. "Naw, just aliens. Lots of 'em, too. Oh, and evil wizards, and secret societies, a giant fungus monster and a big tick-thing that nearly sucked up Yellowston-ow!"

Gwen laughed shakily as she elbowed her cousin in the ribs. "Oh, Ben, you kidder! Always kidding... he's a kidder alright! Uhm, anyway..." Gwen searched for a new topic and settled with... "You knew Will when you were babies, Danny? Must be cool to see her again."

Danny scratched his head. "Well, sorta. She seems familiar to me." He didn't want to mention that when Tucker brought up the baths they had taken together, he'd gotten a flash of a young red-headed girl sitting across from him in a tub. Somehow, he doubted it was Jazz. "Very familiar. Hmmm..."

"But you've actually fought ghosts yourself?" Ben asked as he rubbed his injured ribs, waiting for the right time to return the favor.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah... a few times, with my parent's equipment..." And hundreds of times without them. "But, uh, I'm no Danny _Phantom_." His eye twitched as he said it. "Like I said, if you live in Amity, you're bound to run into them sooner or later. We're lucky to have Phantom around to look out for us."

"Ah hah!" Tucker said triumphantly. "I knew I was right! Hey guys, we're dining with a web celeb!" He held the PDA up so everyone could see it. On the LCD screen a video of Jake dancing to the "Hubba Hubba Hulu". Jake paled and dropped his chopsticks.

Naturally, this was the exact same time that Hay Lin returned to the group. "How's everyone doing? Do you need any refills or any... what's that music? It's catchy."

"No!" Jake lunged for the PDA, but Hay Lin defied the laws of space and time and somehow snatched it away from Tucker first. She stared at the screen for the longest seconds of Jake Long's life, then burst out laughing. "Oh, Jake, that is adorable! Was it a talent show?"

Jake laughed weakly, still splayed out over the table. "Actually, it was a wedding..."

Danny shot Tucker a disapproving glare. "Tuck..."

Tucker instinctively clutched his jeans' belt loops. "Sorry, Jake. I just got carried away; that video was the most downloaded since the Hamster Dance. Man, it must have took some guts to do that!"

Jake slid back into his seat and shrugged. "Well, my moms was the wedding planner and things were getting out of hand. The bride and the groom liked the song so I figured, what the hey? Saved the wedding, anyway." It would have helped if he could have mentioned the gremlins that caused the mess in the first place.

Hay Lin smiled proudly at him as she handed the PDA back to Tucker. "Oh, that was sweet of you, Jake. How romantic... whoever this girl is she's so lucky! I bet she misses you bad."

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "What, you mean Rose? Heh, she ain't missing nothing Jakey's giving out."

"Trix, that's on the DL!" Jake chided. Rose's parents still thought he was a crazy loon that claimed to be a dragon and would not be too thrilled to know Jake was seeing their daughter on the side, even if it was in their dreams.

Every female at the table (except the smug Trixie) had a dreamy look on their face. "A hidden love," Gwen said wistfully. "Ohhhhh..."

Sam's take was slightly different. "Oh, yeah, sticking it to the 'rents! Way to fight the power, Jake!"

Ben looked at the girls with a queasy expression.. "Is it just me, or did things get weird in here?"

Hay Lin patted his head. "Oh, you'll understand when you meet the right girl, Ben."

"Maybe he already has," Gwen said slyly. Ben suddenly became very interested in his rice. Very fascinating, rice. So... white. And small.

* * *

Unbeknown to the youngsters, the parents and grandparents were watching the kids with interest. "That seems very familiar," Yan Lin said. 

"I'll say," Max agreed. "Reminds me of us four back in the day, multiplied."

Lao Shi stroked his goatee thoughtfully. "I hope Jake will not be distracted by all these females; his studies are very important."

Jasmine laughed. "He's your grandson, 'Lucky'. I don't think there's a question of whether he'll chase women when there are so many around!" Lao Shi coughed and tried to feign indifference.

Susan and the Fentons chuckled. Jack straightened up and his brow furrowed. "Studying? During summertime? That's harsh."

Susan almost expected him to add, "Man," at the end like he had in college. "What exactly is this studying?" she asked nonchalantly. "Will said it was a cultural thing, is that right?"

Lao, Yan and Jasmine didn't answer right away. When they did, they started talking over each other, confusing Susan and not really explaining anything. When they realized this, they stopped and looked at each, some sort of silent instant messaging going on between them.

Apparently, Yan Lin won (or lost) the drawing. "Ah, well, when we were younger Lao, Jasmine and I agreed that keeping traditions alive was important. As such, we decided to train our grandchildren personally, and teach the others' as well, in areas of our specific strengths. Language, calligraphy writing, family history and such, with some martial arts training and meditation."

Susan nodded and looked impressed. "Wow, that sounds wonderful. I wish I could give Will that, but I'm out of touch with my relatives."

"It is never too late to start," Lao Shi said, "The challenges of life are easier faced with tradition to strengthen resolve."

"Ai-yah!" Jasmine said with an amused exasperation. "Can you believe this guy? He was once the coolest dancer in Hong Kong, but now he sounds like an episode of '_Kung Fu_'!"

Lao Shi drew himself up in offense, adding a few inches to his height. "That was a long time ago. Rest assured that Jake is not permitted to indulge in such acts of... what is that noise?"

The adults turned and saw Jake Long performing the "Hubba Hubba Hulu" (complete with lyrics) as a giggling Hay Lin clapped along. The other kids were staring at him with amused, horrified, and morbidly fascinated expressions as Jake hula-danced and sang in front of the customers. Lao Shi's jaw dropped as his grandson finished the performance and received a hug from Hay Lin as a reward.

Jasmine sipped her iced tea and smirked at Lao Shi. "Kid's got your rhythm, Lao, and your way with the ladies, too."

Lao found his voice. "Jake!? But... but you hate that song! Why..."

Jake shrugged and smiled weakly. "Well, Hay asked me to. What could I say?"

"Ah, the Lin Charm," Jasmine said knowingly. "I've seen Yan make men do things that would boggle your mind, Susan. Once, she even got Max to make a tampon run to the store for us!"

Max scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, uh, it was on the way..."

"It was across town, Tennyson!" Susan laughed at Max's grimace. "Sometimes we'd get so caught up in ourselves that we'd forget the little things. Thank god for Max here, always willing to charge into the ladies' aisle for us!" Yan Lin patted a now thoroughly embarrassed Max on the cheek. Lao Shi chuckled but was silenced by a glare from Jasmine. "Don't laugh, smart guy! You were terrified of them, admit it!"

Max cleared his throat. "Actually, Yan, there is a favor I'd like to ask. Since you're teaching the other kids I was hoping you'd consider taking Gwen on as well. She's... shown an inclination to your area of expertise, if you know what I mean."

Yan Lin nodded. "Ah, I see. I suspected that as soon as I saw her. How long will you be in town?"

"A few days, I think. The itinerary's pretty clear since we've hit all the high points on our trip so far." Max looked at Lao and Jasmine. "And I was thinking she could attend with Jake and Juniper since she's, well, she's more _aware _than she used to be."

Lao and Jasmine nodded sagely, perfectly understanding Max's choice of words. Susan was completely out of the loop, but she had a feeling this was connected to whatever Yan Lin was hiding. She tried to look as innocent and oblivious as possible as she checked her cell phone for messages and was relieved and dismayed to find out how easy it was to fall back into old habits. Her thoughts drifted to her whole present and future: her fragile daughter, who was still so delicate to be felled by nothing more than a hot day.

* * *

Upstairs in Hay Lin's room, Will lay on her friend's bed as she tried to recover from her strange ordeal. She felt genuinely better and could have walked back to her apartment if she had to, but doubted she could have gotten past the over-protective June without Tele-transporting. "Really, June, I'm fine. It's just the heat." 

"Rrriiiggghhhttt... sing me another tune, Willie," June quipped as she cooled Will off with a _Silver Dragon_ souvenir fan. "If that Fenton kid did this to you on purpose, I'll fix him good!"

Will chuckled at that; June would _so_ make a great mom. "Let's just wait until we know more, okay? He seems nice."

"Aliright... but I get cranky if I don't beat up monsters every few days and something about that boy seems off." June shrugged. "Even if he is kinda cute, in an awkward way."

Will smiled in agreement. "He is, isn't he? Kinda like a puppy at the pet shop that trips over his own feet. Geez, how could Irma think he was Danny Phantom? Maybe it was some of that ectoplasm left over from his parents' experiments that made me dizzy. He must help out in the lab a lot, you'd think."

Will sat up and took the fan from June. "I'm feeling better now; let's go back downstairs." The two girls left Hay Lin's room and began walking down the hall that connected the second-floor rooms of the restaurant. "How have you been, June? It's been months since we first met."

June shrugged. "Ah, the usual: school and Te Xuan Ze stuff. Nothing too big. You?"

"Pretty quiet on the Guardian front, actually. A few rescue operations here and there. I hate to say it, but we're probably due for another big one soon."

June gave Will a small one-handed shove that nearly sent her flying into the wall. "Hey, don't jinx us! I gotta study all summer, I'd rather not have to save the world during that."

"Now who's jinxing us?" The girls laughed as they descended the stairs.

"Are you feeling better, Will?" Hay Lin asked with her motherly face on. The rest of the kids wore equally concerned looks especially, June noticed, Danny. Like he knew he'd done something wrong; this one was going to need watching. And, if necessary, hurting.

Will patted Hay Lin on the shoulder. "Yeah, I'm fine. Not like I was suffering or anything; June was giving me the 'Queen of Sheba' treatment with this." She held up the fan in front of her face so that only her eyes were showing. "Did the others leave?"

"Yeah. Irma's still bugging Taranee about Peter, but I think we might be able to hook Jazz here up with him!"

Jazz blushed and waved her hands in defensive gestures. "Hey, I had nothing to do with that! It was Irma, she's the Humorist! Oh, that reminds me: Irma said that I had to ask you for permission to use W.I.T.C.H. in my clique study. I'm doing it for school and I think you girls would be perfect for it. It won't take long, I promise."

Will considered Jazz's proposal, her brow scrunched up in thought. To those that didn't know that Will was a Guardian it looked like she was worried about losing her precious summer vacation time; in truth, she was wondering if this study could compromise their secret identities. After weighing the pros and cons, Will decided it would be more suspicious if she said no to such a simple request. "Alright, but I don't know where they got this 'leader' thing from."

Jazz looked relieved. "Thanks! I'd do the study with kids in Amity Park, but it's like a class system up there. Cocky quarterbacks, ditzy cheerleaders... you could learn about our high school just by watching teen dramas."

"Or the _Sci Fi_ channel," Sam quipped. "We've had more hauntings in our gym this last year then we've had home games."

"Oh, Jake, could you do the dance again?" Hay Lin asked. "I want Will and June to see it, it's so adorable!"

"Perhaps later," Yan Lin said as she walked over to their table. "No offense, Jacob, but your dancing is not in keeping with our theme here. Perhaps if we had a luau, but not today." Jake nodded gratefully as he made a mental note that _Mrs. Lin was awesome_. "I hope you are taking care of our young guests, kiddo; they are my students, but they are also under your protection here in Heatherfield."

"Oh, of course, Grandma! I just got distracted. Does anyone need anything?" Everyone at the table shook their heads. "Don't hesitate to ask; Grandma's going to drive you like sled dogs anyway, so I'd better make sure the rest of your stay is pleasant!" The New Yorkers and the Lees smiled nervously.

Yan Lin nodded and decided to try out some slang. "'True dat! I hate to interrupt your meal, but I just need to lay out the schedule. Today: no work, you are too tired and must rest after your trips. Tomorrow: around nine o'clock we will start our lessons. We should finish around four, maybe a little later. You can go to the convention then if you wish. You are to be in bed at ten thirty... no griping! If you want to complain to your grandparents about that, well, good luck since I'm the nice one. Understood?"

The students nodded. "Also, Trixie and... Spud, is it? You are free to join the lessons if you choose, but only if you want to. Considering your, uh... closeness to Jake, it would better help you to... understand his culture."

"We'll be there, Mrs. Lin," Trixie affirmed.

"Yeah, we're all about culture!" Spud said with a manic grin. "For if we have not culture, do we not bleed? Uh, wait, let me try that again... as a man is defined by his history, a woman is defined by her... her-story. Huh, maybe the bleeding one was better..."

Yan Lin examined Spud intently. "You are an interesting young man."

"Thanks, Mizzus Lin. But most people just call me weird. Rude much, huh?"

"Eh, quite... Gwen, your grandfather has asked me to give you a few lessons as well." Gwen's eyes widened in surprise. "You can attend the classes at the same time as the others; I'll be starting from the beginning, anyway. Also, with my son and his wife leaving on vacation I may require your assistance in running the restaurant..."

"Really?!" Spud said excitedly. "Mrs. Lin, I am your man! I help out at my mom's Italian restaurant all the time! I am at your service!" Spud knelt and bowed his head with a flourish.

Yan Lin blinked in surprise, wondering if it would be wise to have this teen handle her dishes. "Er, thank you, Spud. Well, enjoy your meals, kids. And Ray Ray, don't use too many napkins, they're expensive."

Ray Ray plastered an innocent look on his face. "Oh, my bad. I fiddle with things when I'm bored. It's a condition, no lie."

"Sure it is. Put the napkins back, sweetie." With that, Yan Lin turned and went back to her own demographic, the eyes of the kids following her the whole way.

Hay lin shrugged and giggled. "That's my Grandma!"

Danny shook his head. "You guys have classes during the summer? That's harsh, man." He frowned at the phrase for some reason.

"Jake and June are taking lessons from our grandparents as a cultural thing," Hay Lin explained. "Uhm, I'm not sure what the lessons are, but I guess they'll be very interesting. Knowing Grandma, I mean."

Ben looked at his cousin suspiciously, but not as subtly as Jake and June were. "Why does Grandpa want you bugging Mrs. Lin? I mean, you're not even Chinese!"

Gwen glared at him. "I happen to like learning new things, _Benjamin_." The full name, yeow! Ben tried not to wince. "And Grandpa told me Mrs. Lee is an expert martial artist, so maybe he wants her to teach me, too. Not that I need help kicking your butt!" Ben crossed his arms and snorted in disbelief, even though they both knew it was true.

Tucker made a rather pathetic fighting stance with his fists. "Going to learn some kickin' kah-rah-tay moves? Hee-yah!" Tucker karate-chopped and nearly knocked over Danny's drink.

Sam bopped Tucker on the beret again. "You have to excuse Tucker, he's not real good at the 'human interaction' deal." Tucker glared at her as he forced himself not to rub his head; Sam felt bad enough for his treatment today to offer a reconciliatory gesture. "Well, he is pretty good with computers..."

"Ah, a fellow connoisseur of the electronic arts!" Spud exclaimed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a PDA of his own, one that was clearly heavily modified. "I just so happen to have my pride and joy right here!" Tucker leaned forward and studied it with obvious interest and an undercurrent of bewilderment.

"Oh, man!" Trixie groused. " Is that the one you used to track that whack cheerleader?"

Spud nodded. "Fortunately, with our commitment to each other I no longer follow her every step..." He sneaked a glance at the "Stacy Tracker". "... especially not into Macy's lingerie department, more specifically the th-thon... gah... section... uh, let me just turn that off. Distracting." Eager to change the subject, he looked at Hay Lin and smiled. "So your family's Chinese, huh? That must help running the restaurant, I bet!" Hay Lin smiled awkwardly and nodded while Jake groaned quietly and rubbed the bridge of his nose as if fighting off a headache.

A sudden beeping caused Spud to look back at his girl-tracking device. "Huh, that's weird... the FentonWorks ghost-tracking software I downloaded for my sensor array is all wonky-willy. I think there's a_ ghost_ nearby."

He began sweeping the PDA over the diners, lingering on a nervous Ben, an amused June and an annoyed Trixie ("Boy! Point thtat thing away from me! Give me cancer or somethin'...") before stopping at Danny. "Hmmmm... readings are getting stronger." He looked at Danny as Danny looked back at him, then they looked at the Stacy Tracker, then each other, then the Tracker, then each other... "Dude, this thing's buggy, because there is no way that the son of the world's _premiere_ ghost hunters is a ghost himself! That's just crazy-town!"

Danny laughed, his lower eyelids raising upward in his telltale sign of lying through his teeth. "Yep, crazy! Uhm, I'm sure it's just some chemicals from the lab we have on our RV." Will gave June a "See There?" look that June responded to with a "Whatever" shrug.

"You think your Dad could take a look at this?" Spud asked. Danny nodded and Spud bounded over to the Fentons for hands-on technical expertise.

Jake scratched his head. "Uhm... Spud's... uh... Spud. He... he ain't dangerous or anything..."

"I think he's adorable!" Hay Lin gushed. "And funny!"

"And a genius," Tucker added. "That PDA of his is one crazy piece of work. And I do mean _crazy_... er, no offense."

Jake and Trixie smiled knowingly "What Spud ain't got in the common sense," Trixie stated, "he makes up for in _un_common sense. Boy's a certifiable brainiac and a certifiable nut, too."

"Is he your boyfriend?" Hay Lin asked. "Because you two would look cute together." In place of Taranee, Jake used his Magical Personal Assistant's camera function and snapped the look on Trixie's face for his MySpace page; it wasn't everyday Miss Carter's jaw dropped that low. "Oh, I guess not. Hey, Danny, are you and Sam..."

"No!" Danny and Sam said.

"Oh. Well, Tucker, are you and Sam..."

"No!" Sam and Tucker said.

"Oh. Danny and Tu...?"

Danny quickly interrupted her. "We're all single, really."

Hay Lin blushed. "Oh, sorry. Ever since I found my Eric I just want everyone to be as happy as we are."

Jake scratched his chin and narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to have to meet this guy, Hay. Check him out for myself. See if he's legit."

"Oh, Jake! Eric's the best guy ever! I'm sure he'll meet your approval."

Jake shook his head. "No guy's good enough to deserve you, Hay. That's a fact." Hay Lin blushed and covered her face. Every male at the table, even Ben and Ray Ray, took mental notes of this on equally mental notepads. _No... guy... good enough..._

"So none of you guys are dating?" Gwen asked. "Why not? I can't wait until I'm old enough to start."

"Run!" Ben warned every XY chromosome carrier in earshot. "Run away!" The others laughed as Gwen booted him out of his seat.

Sam shrugged at Gwen's statement. "Well, it's not that it's easy, not if you want to keep your dignity. If you have any questions, you should ask Danny. He's got the most experience."

Danny frowned as they looked at him with obvious surprise; he knew didn't exactly scream _lady-killer,_ but... "I don't think I'm qualified to give advice on a _successful_ relationship..." Unbeknown to him, Danny now had had the interest of every girl at the table, the scent of heartbreak attracting them like emotional sharks.

"What happened?" Hay Lin asked in a near-whisper. "Did she cheat on you?"

"No! No, nothing like that. She... had other things to do that could have put me in danger." _Like trying to kill me herself_. "She was a ghost hunter, actually. It's... it's a long story, anyway. Heh, the only advice I can give is don't date ghost hunters. Too risky." _Especially if you're a half-ghost._ Hay Lin patted him on the shoulder like he was a brave little soldier recovering from deep heartache.

"That's rough, dude," Jake agreed, "But it's not like she was trying to blast you or anything, right?" _That_ was rough.

Danny just stared at Jake for several seconds. "Uhm, yeah. We're still friends, me and Valerie. I mean, besides, who has the time, right?" To Danny's surprise everyone agreed with him, except for Ray Ray and Ben who were new to the Game of Love.

Will shook off her thoughts about Matt Olsen and asked the Amity Parkers, "The convention's in town a week, right? You'll probably have a lot of down-time, so why not hang with us? I mean, me and the girls. It won't be just chick things, of course; Caleb's in town and there's our boyfriends so you could do some guy stuff, too."

"Don't Matt and Wreck 55 have a gig this week?" Hay Lin asked. "Heehee... 'gig'! I sound like a groupie! Anyway, Will and Taranee's boyfriends are in Wreck 55 so we get free passes to all their shows!"

Sam smirked at Will. "So you're a rocker's girlfriend? Sweet." Will shrugged sheepishly. "What's their style? Wreck 55 sounds heavy to me."

"They mainly do rock ballads," Hay Lin supplied, "Like this darling one Matt did for Will called 'The Will to Love'! Oh, it's so sweet..." Ben frowned so much that Gwen actually felt sorry for him; not even out of the gate yet and already shot down.

"You guys brought a CD of theirs to my place, remember?" June said. "I really liked 'The Demon in Me.' Wasn't that the one that..." June stopped suddenly. "Uh, never mind. They're not too soft, Sam, they're more like... like Nickelback in high school. But Matt's hair is shorter than their lead singer. He's a lot cuter, too." Will rolled her eyes as June talked about her man. "Sorry, Will; I forgot you're the possessive type."

"I'm not possessive! I'm... I'm keen on boundaries." _Thank you, Taranee._

June elbowed the older girl in ribs as lightly as she could. "Girl, if you're worried about little scrawny me stealing your boy, you got issues."

"We'd love to hang out with you guys," Sam said, "Now that we've set up the Fenton booth there's really not much we can do. Hey, maybe Matt can give Danny some pick-up lines to use." Danny looked at her through slitted eyes; even if he wasn't exactly a player, he didn't like to be reminded of it.

Will laughed. "I don't know about that; Matt never used any on me, but he did give me a pet dormouse to break the ice."

"How cute!" Gwen exclaimed, giving Ben a supportive pat that earned her a suspicious look. "What did you name him?"

"Hay Lin named him Mr. Huggles, but I had to give him back because his real name was '_Houdini_'. A real escape artist, that one. You know, he's coming by tonight after rehearsal, uh, Matt, I mean. And Huggles, too, most likely. Maybe I can rope him into singing a few songs for you guys. Oh, June, did you bring your guitar? Matt's been dying to meet you ever since I played your demo for him."

"I play, too!" Ben blurted out. Everyone looked at him. "Uh, guitar, I mean."

"What Ben means," Gwen jumped in, "Is that he'd like to play with June and Matt. For pointers. I translate for Ben sometimes since I speak 'dorky cousin'." Ben looked both thankful for the intervention and annoyed at the jab.

Will smiled at Ben who blushed heavily. "June, Ray Ray... heck, if you've all got the night off for now why don't you all come over? Hay Lin, Ben, Gwen, you too." The others agreed to the invite. "Just let me clear it with my mom."

"I play, too!" Ben blurted out. Everyone looked at him. "Uh, guitar, I mean."

"What Ben means," Gwen jumped in, "Is that he'd like to play with June and Matt. For pointers. I translate for Ben sometimes since I speak 'dorky cousin'." Ben looked both thankful for the intervention and annoyed at the jab.

Will got up and crossed over to her mother's table just as Jack and Spud came to the kids'. Spud was beaming at Jack like a proud son. "You're amazing, Mr. Fen! You actually made a gas-powered turbine engine when you were _my_ age!?"

Jack shrugged. "Well, it did kind of blow up, but I was still proud of it and it was a pretty cool explosion! One of the fan blades came this close to my... well, let's just say my kids almost didn't-oh, hi, kids! Just fixed up Artie's ghost finder..." The kids leaned away from the device, in case a "cool explosion" occurred.

"'_Artie_'?" Trixie asked Arthur P. Spudinski, who smiled lopsidedly and shrugged.

Jack activated the Stacy Tracker and began to track it over the kids. When it landed on Danny, the newly activated vocal diagnostic chimed in with a feminine call of, "_There is a ghost directly in front of you. There is a ghost directly in front of you. _Seriously_. There is a _ghost right in front of you_. Are you even paying attention to me? I give up, I just give... _Jack frowned and shook the PDA. "Well, darnit! I guess I owe you a refund, Artie."

Danny felt everyone's eyes on him; he shrugged and said, "Okay, I admit it: I'm actually Danny Phantom, the Ghost Boy. Surprise!"

No one said anything for a moment, then Jack laughed heartily and slapped his son heavily on the back, knocking Danny face-first into his rice. "Oh, Dan-O, you're such a kidder! Just like your mother." The others chuckled, though Sam and Tucker looked a little pale at Danny's pseudo-revelation.

Luckily, Will returned with good news to distract them. "Hey, guys, my mom's feeling generous so you can all come over. I gotta go, though; she wants me to clean up my room, _of course_, and that could take a few hours." She tilted her head questioningly at Danny, who was cleaning the rice out of his hair.

June shot a look at the ceiling. "I thought you guys were kidding about Hay Lin's room, " she said, "But now that I've seen it I'm a believer."

Jake suddenly laughed. "Oh, man, I just remembered Hay Lin getting buried by the stuff in her closet once! Her face was in a tennis racket, yee-owch!"

Hay Lin looked sheepish. "Uhm, messy rooms are the sign of a creative mind, after all! I'll bring some food tonight, Will, soon as I get time to fix it. I guess I should ask Mr. Tennyson... ha! Mr. T! I should ask Mr. T if Ben and Gwen can stay here so I can take them to Will's." Hay Lin went over to the adult's table.

Jack scratched his head. "Hmmm... wasn't there... oh! Right! There's an orientation in a hour for the convention, kids. The sponsor for the whole shin-dig, Mr. Gus... Geese... G-something... Maddie would know... he's going to make a speech or something to everyone. Speeches make me sleepy, but since he's footing the bill I guess we gotta listen." The kids smiled in sympathy with Mr. Fenton, having sat through many a boring school assembly.

"We're about done, Dad," Danny said as he speared his last piece of pork. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Will. I'd hate to think I made you sick. I should clean up better from now on. Heh, I guess you could say I made you sick to your stomach!"

Will shook her head quickly. "Oh, no, you don't, really, I like being around you... I mean, you're a nice person... but that's not all you are, of course."

"So you think Danny's cute?" Gwen asked with glint in her eye.

Will froze like a deer in headlights. "No! Yes! No, I mean... yes! I mean, I'm seeing someone, I wouldn't know!" Her head sank as she realized how stupid she sounded. "I'm going to shut up now before I embarrass myself further."

Danny smiled in relief and a fair amount of sympathy; usually he was the one who ended embarrassed whenever he and a girl talked to each other. "Thanks, Will. And I feel the same way. Actually, I think I do remember you after all." And that was all he was going to say about that.

"You guys are practically cousins," June said, hoping to defuse Will's situation.

Ben chimed in with, "And believe me, they're worse people to have as cousins, right _Gwen_?"

Instead of hitting him, Gwen just smiled acidly at her cousin. "You're preaching to the choir, _Benjy_."

* * *

Author's Notes: June's first meeting with the Guardians will be covered in a prequel fic called "Guardians and Protectors." Chapter one is almost done as of this posting; it seems like extra work, but I have a good plot for it and the troubles with introducing June's crew to the others would have lengthened these already huge chapters. 

Episode References: When Jazz mentions the trouble she's having deciding on a college and the "entrapment" clause, both gags are from the show. Danny's troubles with Ember are from the episodes "Fanning the Flames" and "Pirate Radio." Dumpty Humpty are a rock band that appear in several episodes like "Reality Trip." Valerie Gray became a ghost hunter in "Shades of Gray" and chased Danny for most of the series, even when they were dating.

The Hubba Hubba Hula is taken from the AmDrag episode, "Jake Takes the Cake." It should be mandatory that every AmDrag fanfiction contain a mention of that dance. The Stacey Tracker is from the episode "Bring It On." Jake got his Personal Magic Assistant in "The Doppleganger Gang."

Ben actually can play the guitar in his show as shown in the episode, "Monster Weather" as both himself and Four-Arms! The giant fungus is from "Camp Fear", the big tick from... "Big Tick", the secret society is the Forever Knights and the evil wizard is Ben's enemy Hex. Ben is referred to as "Benjy" by his enemy Kevin 11 in several episodes, though not as affectionately as Yan and Gwen do.

Matt Olsen's songs "Will To Love" and "Demon In Me" are from "S is for Self."

Jake's comments about Hay Lin's face and a tennis racket are a reference to my W.I.T.C.H. story, "Dark Gossamer Wings", otherwise known as the story with the Ungodly Long Second Chapter. DGW is still in progress and part of this story's continuity; see my profile for time lines and stuff like that.

Lots of voice actors like Tara Strong and Grey Delise appear on numerous shows in this story. For example, the very different Taranee and Trixie are voiced by by Miss Kitty while Grey Delise is both Sam Manson and the evil hairy spider creature Miranda from W.I.T.C.H. Think that's weird? The voice actor for Max Tennyson is also the voice of the greedy Jeek from W.I.T.C.H.!


	5. And The Curtain Draws Back

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Disclaimers: The characters and settings in this story are copy-righted and not my proper-tay, they're other people's proper-tay. Respect it!

Author's Notes: Don't get too used to these frequent updates, I've had these chapters done for a while now.

* * *

Chapter 5: And The Curtain Draws Back

* * *

The battle plan was as follows: the Tennysons would remain at the _Silver Dragon_ until Hay Lin left for Will's, Max staying behind to catch up with his fellow grandparents. Jake's crew and the young Lees would tag along as well for some R&R before Mrs. Lin "officially owned their butts tomorrow," as Jake put it.

The Fentons (Actual and Honorary) would come en masse and be bringing the drinks as well. Susan had wondered aloud if her apartment would be presentable only to have Will point out that most of their guests were teenagers and they wouldn't care one whit about dust or mothballs or even the large hole in her room's ceiling. Susan nearly freaked out before she realized Will was kidding.

"Time to get a move-on, kids!" Jack said cheerfully. "Wouldn't want to be late for that really boring speech!" Maddie gave him a light slap on his suit's shoulder that sounded like a rubber ducky's cry of agony. "Just funnin', baby..."

"Uh, Danny?" Gwen asked hesitantly. "Why are your parents wearing their haz-mat suits to a restaurant? I guess they didn't have time to change or something?"

Danny flushed as he realized that, yet again, he would have to explain his parent's eccentricities. "Well, uh... thing is, our whole house is pretty much one big lab, so they're usually wearing the suits anyway. They wore them so much, I guess it's just become a habit."

"And they're comfy!" Jack interjected. "No chafing! Say, Dan-O, whatever happened to your old suit, the black and white one?"

Danny swallowed as he remembered that his own haz-mat suit was now part of his ghostly form whenever he transformed into Danny Phantom. "Er... I think it's in my closet. Just kind of threw it in there."

Jack frowned at his son. "Now, Danny, how many time have I told you store your lab gear properly? If it's not properly disinfected, you could wind up with Ecto-Acne or some other extra-dimensional infection. When we get back I want you to clean your suit til you can eat off it, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"And use the Fenton Irradiation De-Contaminator on your entire closet, got me?"

"_Yes, sir_."

"Good." Jack ruffled his son's hair. "Don't want anything to happen to the almost-Jack Jr.!" The cheery scientist left "almost-Jack Jr." alone with the other kids.

Danny shrugged and said to the others, "I have a weird life." Jake, the Guardians, June and the Tennyson kids chuckled knowingly at that, silently thinking, _Yeah right, buddy._ "See you guys later; it was nice meeting you all. Take it easy, Will."

Will nodded. "I'll try. See you tonight."

"Maybe we could pick up some bubble bath on the way?" Tucker suggested with a sly wink. "Just in case you two get nostalgic and... urk! Danny, that's my neck! Owowowowow! Quit dragging me, man, there's girls watching! Hey, hey, watch the door, watch the... ouch, my beret!"

As the Fentons and Vandoms left Yan Lin placed a hand on Gwen's shoulder. "Max tells me that you have great talent, Gwendolyn. Would you like to join my students while you are in Heatherfield?" She gestured to June and Jake.

Gwen blinked and looked at Max, who nodded. "Uhm... I guess..."

"Good! Let us go upstairs where we can discuss things more candidly. Let me tell my son I will be unavailable and then I will join you. Hay Lin, Caleb, please take them to the dining room." Yan Lin left them and went back into the kitchen.

Hay Lin scratched her head and looked at Gwen, obviously wondering if the red-haired, green-eyed girl somehow had Chinese ancestors. "Um... okay. Follow me, guys... uh, ma'am and sirs, too." They began to walk toward the stairs.

"'Great talent'? _Gwen_?" Ben whispered incredulously to his relations. "What's she talking about?"

Max smiled enigmatically. "Let's just say Yan knows about more than just Chinese recipes." Ben and Gwen shared exasperated expressions; both of the cousins were familiar with Max's slow reveal of his enigmatic past, but it was still annoying when he rubbed it in their faces.

"You think we're finally going to get the full story?" Trixie whispered to Jake. "I get the feeling the rest of these guys aren't what they look like."

"Maybe," Jake replied quietly. "What I want to know is, am I going to have tell Hay Lin about my dragon deal? I don't want to freak her out or anything..."

Trixe's only reassurance was, "Well, she lives in a place named after a dragon; that might help, right?"

"Maybe..."

When they were in the rectangular dining room the seniors took seats at the table while their grandchildren examined the many antiques and items that decorated the room. Jake and Ben were inspecting a centuries-old longsword with a twisted blade when the younger boy asked, "So, you're from New York, right? We went through there a few weeks ago."

"Yeah?" Jake said, happy to have the distraction. "Have any fun in my burg?"

Ben swallowed as he vividly recalled exactly what he'd done in New York. "Uh, yeah. Maybe a little too _much_..."

"So, you're Caleb?" June inquired of the young man as she let Monroe down to stretch his legs. "Hay Lin told me about you in Orchid Bay. You're from a parallel dimension, right?"

Caleb blinked, then looked at the others cautiously. "Um, yes. I take it you know about the girls?"

June nodded. "Yes, Guardians and all. I have a similar job, but without the flashy transformation." She looked over at Jake. "I wonder if Long has something like that going on. There's supposed to be a lot of magical creatures where he's from."

Caleb shook his head. "I don't know. He looks like a normal Earth kid, but then again, so do the girls." He looked at June. "And, uh, so do you. Look normal, I mean."

June smirked. "Thanks. Hay did say you were a sweet-talker. But other than we both like hair-dying," She pointed discreetly to Jake's green-highlighted hair. "...I really don't see anything that gives him away. Lot of hair gel, though, whatever that's worth. Maybe he's hiding horns in there!" Caleb and June chuckled weakly, the thought not particularly funny for either of the supernaturally experienced minors.

Years of working in a restaurant ingrained in her, Hay Lin approached her elders at the table. "Can I get you anything? You all came such a long way, you must need _something_."

They declined the offer; Max shook his head. "Look at you, all grown up and helping Yan out. Makes me feel downright ancient."

Hay Lin frowned in dismay. "Sorry! Uh... I think."

"She doesn't even remember us, Max," Jasmine said. "But then again, nothing ever held Hay Lin's interest long. That said, I'm surprised she doesn't remember June or Ben."

Hay Lin blinked. "Huh? I've met them _before_?"

Max grinned widely. "Well, they couldn't have been a year-or-so-old when we brought them by... hey, remember when we changed their diapers together and Hay Lin asked..."

"'_Why are they different down there_?'" Jasmine finished with a laugh as Hay Lin turned beet-red. "Ho, Yan had a time explaining that!"

"What's so funny, Ah-Man?" June asked as the kids were attracted to the table by their grandparents' laughter.

"Just reminiscing, kiddy," Jasmine said quickly. June's expression said she knew they were talking about her while Ben was his usual oblivious self. "So, Max, did you see any of the boys from your unit while roaming far and wide? Must be a lot of fun traveling the country and seeing old friends."

Max sighed. "Well, yes and no. Some of them are doing alright, but one of them tried to take us out when we wouldn't help him run scams with our old equipment."

"Oh, no!" Hay Lin bemoaned. "Why would they do that? I thought people in the military were really tight, 'semper fi' and all. What kind of unit was it, Mr. T? Did you catch bad guys?"

Max winked at Jasmine. "Should we wait for Yan to explain it?"

Jasmine nodded. "Yeah, she's got that really good 'mystic' voice." The kids looked at each other as discreetly as they could, trying to discern if the others had any idea what was being said.

Yan Lin then walked into the dining room and gestured for everyone to be seated. She took a seat at the head of the table on the opposite her old friends and the younger people sat around her. "Hello, everyone. Did you enjoy your meals?" The response was unanimous and affirmative. "Of course you did! Now, since we have all been introduced I will get straight to the point. Jacob, Juniper, Trixie... _Spud_, Ray and Gwen, you have been brought here for one reason: to learn from us, your elders. Jasmine will teach you the arts of battle, Lao She the many creatures you may face and I will instruct you in magic itself."

She nodded to Max. "And Maxwell will share a bit of his knowledge while he is here. Are there any questions?" A hand shot up. "Yes, Benjy... Benjamin?"

Ben lowered his hand. "Mmm... yeah, did you say... magic?" Yan Lin smiled and nodded. "Oh... just wanted to make sure."

Hay Lin looked at the kids sitting around the table and then at her grandmother. "Uh, Grandma, what's going on? You said that it was a 'cultural thing'."

"That was a cover story, sweetie. Sorry about that, but I just wanted to see the look on your face when you found out about our guests! Perhaps this would be a good time for the 'real' introductions." She stood and bowed to all of them. "My name is Yan Lin, former Guardian of Contrecoeur of the Air element. My granddaughter Hay Lin is the current Air Guardian and I am very proud of her."

Hay Lin stared at her grandmother as she casually revealed the biggest secret there ever was in their lives. Yan gave a small head-shake in Hay's direction, then repeated the motion when she didn't get it. "Oh!" Hay Lin rose and bowed to the others. "Uh, yes, that's right! Thank you for coming! Uhhhh... like Grandma said we're Guardians, magical... um, _women_ that protect this place called Contrecoeur from bad guys. It's the center of the universe so it's very important, I guess."

A bemused Yan nodded for her to continue, flashing all five of her fingers at her granddaughter as a signal. "Uhhh, five... oh! The girls?" Yan nodded. "My friends you just met are the other Guardians and we each have our own element. Mine is Air like Grandma's..." She raised her hands and a strong breeze blew through the room, ruffling hairs too strongly to have just been air-conditioning. The other kids gave surprised and amused squeals at the display; June and Caleb sat through it without much of a reaction, having seen even more impressive displays of Hay Lin's power.

Hay Lin herself smiled as she gestured to Caleb. "And this is Caleb, he's from another dimension where he lead a rebellion against a bad prince and helped one of my friends regain her rightful place on the throne..." She took a breath and finished with, "And he's dating Cornelia, who's the Guardian of Earth!" Caleb had been in mid-yawn when Hay Lin said his name and quickly tried to look presentable, only to look embarrassed when it was mentioned that he was seeing the Earth Guardian.

Yan Lin motioned for Hay to sit down and then gestured for the Lees to rise. Jasmine placed a hand on her grandchildren's shoulders and said, "Like Yan, I'm also retired. I was the Te Xuan Ze, the Protector for the magical worlds, for... well, a long time, and now Juniper has taken on that role." Ray Ray coughed loudly . "And Ray Ray here helps her out."

"More or less," June muttered. Already a fan, Hay Lin gave them a small round of applause.

"What can you do?" Spud asked June. "Do you, like, shoot lasers out of your eyes?"

June shook her head, then gripped the edge of the long table with one hand and easily lifted it until the edge was over the other kid's heads. "I'm pretty tough for a little girl," June quipped as she placed the table down again.

"Can I just say again how sorry I am I took your dog?" Jake said nervously.

"Aye, you should be!" A voice said from the floor. "A dragon should be paying attention at all times, lest he be caught unawares! AND mistaking me for Fu?! Oy!"

"Monroe!" Juniper scolded. "Lighten up! He could have left you on that sidewalk! _And who could blame him_..."

"Mon-roe?" Gwen asked. She looked under the table and came face to face with June's dog, which said, "Pleasure to meet you, lass. I kin smell the magic coming out of you, alright! You're going to be a powerful one!"

Gwen sat back up and turned to her cousin. "The dog... _talks_."

"It does?" Ben asked as he ducked under the table; Monroe growled and yipped at him. "No, he doesn't!"

"Only magical people can hear him, dude," Ray Ray explained. "Ah, you're not missing much; lot of cheese to go with his whine, if you know what I'm sayin'."

"Monroe is magically enhanced and the Te Xuan Ze's adviser," Yan explained as she reached under the table and picked the dog up; she scratched his head and cooed at him. "And he's cute as a button, aren't you? Oh, yes, you are!"

Monroe looked stricken, then resigned. "Ach, it's good to see you, too, Yanny."

The Longs were next, Jake's grandfather bowing to the youngsters as he stood. "I am Lao She Luong, former Chinese Dragon and now Dragon Master to my grandson Jake, the very first American Dragon." Jake blushed at Hay Lin's proud expression, even though the girl had no idea what his title meant. "Spud and Trixie are Jake's friends and assistants, formally recognized by the Dragon Council as such and noted for valor in the service of magical creatures worldwide."

"Yeahhhh, baby, we are all _up_ in the valor!' Trixie shouted proudly, then she looked mollified as she added, "Errrr, you know, humbly and all."

Spud cleared his throat. "I'd just like to say it's nice to meet everybody and... hey, is that a Sumo Slammer limited-edition Zune?!" He was pointing to a device in Ben's hands, the earphones resting in Ben's ears as he listened to music through the introductions. Max and Gwen frowned at Ben as he sheepishly put the device in his pocket.

The Longs and co. sat back down; Max didn't realize he was supposed to speak until Yan Lin rolled her eyes impatiently at him. "Oh, haha... _ahem_. My name is Maxwell Tennyson and I met your grandparents when I was part of an organization code-named the 'Plumbers.' We, ah... we dealt with paranormal threats like aliens and the such. Gwen and Ben have been traveling with me this summer and we've recently discovered that Gwen has some magical aptitude. Must get it from her mother's side..."

Ben tapped him on the shoulder. "Yes, Ben?" Ben pointed to his "watch." "Oh, and Ben here got attached to a DNA-transforming device that lets him change into all sorts of creatures. He's even saved the world a few times."

"Takes after his grandfather," Yan Lin noted, causing Max to scratch the back of his head and blush. "As you can all guess, your new friends aren't what they appeared to be, but rest assured they are all good people. Now, us old-timers are going to catch up while we finish our preparations for your stay. If you want to show off your powers, you can do so in the basement; just don't go overboard, Caleb sleeps down there when he's on Earth..."

Yan looked at Caleb with mild disapproval. "...when he sleeps at all." The young man shrugged and avoided eye-contact. "You kids play nice!" The senior citizens left the youngsters alone in the dining room, Yan Lin still carrying Monroe who shot a desperate look at June before the door closed behind him.

There was a moment of silence as the kids warily appraised each other, trying to decide what "Kandrakars" and "Tersh Wan Zeys" were. It was June that spoke first. "You do realize they're getting a kick out of this, right?"

"Tell me about it!" Ben said in exasperation. "Grandpa never told us _anything_ about fighting aliens until this guy named Vilgax tried to chop off my arm to get the Omnitrix!" He held up the "watch" as he said its real name.

"Oh my gosh!" Hay Lin said in a gasp. "That's horrible! Uh... what's an Omni-Trix? It sounds like a cereal." Gwen had the stray thought of _Silly Vilgax, Omnitrix are for kids! _that was so bad she nearly groaned aloud.

"Or Trixie's name if she was a cyborg!" Spud suggested. Trixie didn't even bother to glare at him as she was used to such flights of fancy from her freaky friend.

"I wish I was a cyborg!" Ray Ray exclaimed. "I'd have, like, chain guns for hands..."

"Or buzz saw teeth!" Spud added. The ice was broken as the two began to compare imaginary accessories they would possess if cybernetically enhanced.

Hay Lin bent downward and hugged Ben tightly. "Oh, don't worry, Benny! If this Vilgags guy comes around, me and girls will protect you from him!" Ben looked like he was being embraced by Vilgax himself at the moment; Gwen was loving it, of course. Hay Lin let him go and turned to Jake. "So you're the _first _American Dragon? Is that like a martial artist/secret agent-y kind of deal?"

Jake tugged on his collar. "Uh... something like that... a little more... literal."

Vague as that was, Hay Lin was still impressed. "Wow! Hey, let's go down to the basement so we can all show off our stuff!" She somehow managed to herd them all out of the room only by touching Ben and Jake shoulders. "Can any of you guys go invisible? No? Well, I can!"

* * *

"I just can't get over how much Will has grown!" Maddie said when the Fentons got back to the convention center. "It reminds me of how Danny is growing up so fast!" She ran her fingers through her son's thick black hair. "It's like when I turn my head he's changed into something entirely different!"

Danny laughed feebly as he attempted to straighten out his locks. "Uh, come on, Mom, you know I'm still the same completely human son I've always been." They entered the building and Danny whistled in amazement. "Wow, they've got most of it set up already." Booth after booths were now erected in rows along the convention center floor like a miniature city. Security personnel and researchers walked long the "streets" respectively looking tough and curious, both groups giving the FentonWorks Insta-Booth tentative glances.

As the Fentons neared their portable structure they noticed an older man with shock-white hair not unlike Bearbert Einstein/Phantom peering intently in the "windows" of the inflatable structure. "Can we help you, sir?" Maddie asked.

The man turned and stared like his hand had been caught in a cookie jar, then he smiled warmly. "Oh, don't mind me, I was just looking. I couldn't help but notice your booth..."

"Be hard _not_ to notice it," Sam said quietly to Danny and Tucker.

"...and I've recently developed an interest in ectoplasmic entities," the man continued; Danny thought the man's booming and slightly-manic voice reminded him of his father on one of his "calm" days. "Forgive me, I forgot my manners. Doctor Emmett Brown, at your service."

Maddie and Jack exchanged confused glances. "Doc Brown?" Jack asked. "But we met you just last year... wow! You must have got some work done 'cause you look great for a ninety-something-year-old man!"

Doc Brown looked oddly worried for a second, then recovered with, "Oh, well, I've been experimenting with electromagnetic therapy and it's worked wonders, but the FDA hasn't approved it yet."

Jack nodded in sympathy. "I know what you mean, they flat-out rejected our Fenton Sweat Lodge... pencil-pushers!"

"Hey, Doc!" A young man about twenty years old with brown hair and a red vintage letterman jacket came running up to Doc Brown. "Check this out! They call it an MP3 player! I have no idea what the name means, but it can hold more songs than even CDs!"

Doc cleared his throat. "Uh, Marty, these are the Fentons. I met them _last year_, remember?" Marty looked confused. "But it feels like the _first time_..."

Comprehension dawned on Marty's face. "Oh... right." He looked down at the MP3 player in his hand before hiding it behind his back. "It's nice to meet you all. For the first time. Uh, Clara and the boys are getting hungry, Doc, so..."

"Great Scott! I got so caught up with the exhibits..." Doc turned to the Fentons. "You wouldn't happen to know any good restaurants, perhaps...?"

"Of course!" Maddie took out her FDA (Fenton Digital Assistant) and used its fax attachment to print out the _Silver Dragon_'s address. "There's this lovely little Chinese restaurant we met an old friend at. It might be a little busy right now, but the atmosphere was charming." She handed the slip of paper to Doc.

Marty looked at the PDA and shook his head. "Wish I had one of those for college, but they won't be invent... er, I mean that money's tight at the moment, you know?"

Doc tugged nervously on his collar and sent Marty a reproachful look. "Well, I hate to run, but the kids start to misbehave when they get hungry. It was good to meet you... Fentons... again." Marty and the Doc waved goodbye as they headed toward a woman garbed in an old-fashioned dress with two young boys standing on either side of her. Sure enough, the woman who was likely Clara was trying to keep the two starved youngsters from fighting.

Maddie frowned as soon as they were out of sight. "Hmmm... that's odd."

"What's odd, Mom?" Danny asked innocently. _Please don't realize I'm Danny Phantom, please don't realize I'm Danny Phantom_...

"Well, when I met Doctor Brown last year he mentioned his boys were full-grown. But those two..." Maddie shook her head. "Oh, never mind. Maybe he just has more children."

"Crazy hair," Jack noted. "Looks like he was hit by a lightning bolt." _Squeak_! "Cut it out, Madds, I was just funning!" The Fentons walked toward the far side of the convention center and entered an auditorium where the orientation was taking place. The place was packed already and the only seats that could be found were near the back.

Danny was just getting seating when three Asian girls in maroon school uniforms and young Caucasian boy in a suit skidded to a halt next to the last free seats. Two of the girls looked slightly out of breath and the boy was leaning on a tall walking stick wrapped in bandages, but the red-haired girl seemed none the worse for the run.

"(We made it!)" the red-haired girl said in her native language. Danny blinked when he noticed the four bells tied at the beginnings of her ankle-length pony-tails and her differing eyes, one blue and one green; apparently he blinked too loudly, because the girl caught him staring and glared at him. "(What are you looking at?!)" Danny's jaw dropped as he tried to think of an appeasing statement, but the girl's fierce gaze was more unnerving than most of the ghosts he had fought.

"(Asuna, please!)" the boy said in fluent Japanese. "(I'm sure he didn't mean anything, he... he probably has never seen a girl with bells in her hair! It's not common in America!)" The young boy turned and bowed respectfully at the Fentons and said with an English accent, "I'm sorry, but Asuna is a bit... shy. She also tends to... misinterpret things, culturally speaking. She's really quite nice, actually."

Danny swallowed and looked at the frowning girl again. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to stare. I... I like your bells!" The boy translated this to the girl and she shot Danny a wary look as he grinned weakly.

Sam groaned. "'I like your bells'? This is why I'm afraid you're going to die a virgin, Danny."

Tucker smirked at her. "Well, if you're that worried, you could always do something about ow, ow, ow, Sam, that's my, ow, ow, my one arm with muscle on it, ow, ow..."

The boy sat next to Danny and held out his hand. "My name is Negi Springfield, from Wales. This is Asuna Kagurazaka, Chao Lingshen and Satomi Hakase. Pleased to meet you!" A small white weasel-like animal hopped up on Negi's shoulder and panted heavily, apparently having just caught up with the young boy. "And this is Chamo. He's ah... my pet ermine." Chamo shot an indignant look at Negi, almost like he understood the words.

Danny took the young Welshman's hand and shook it. "Danny Fenton. This is Sam, Tucker and Jazz. Are your parents taking part in the expo?"

"Oh, actually, Chao and Satomi are displaying some of their inventions and I'm chaperoning them. Asuna, well... Asuna's always wanted to come to America, right, Asuna?" Asuna shrugged noncommitably, like her presence here was not of her doing.

"Fenton?" Chao Lingshen-a girl with dark hair tied in two pigtails and two buns-wondered aloud. "Oh, the ghost-hunters! We were just looking at your booth, it was _kawaii_, so cute!" Her English was perfect, even better than Danny's, with the slightest hint of an accent not unlike Mrs. Lin at the_ Silver Dragon_.

"Um, thanks. My dad built it and-hold up, _you_'re chaperoning _them_?!" Danny asked the ten-year-old Negi.

Negi chuckled. "Yes, I suppose I should have included that with my name... _Professor_ Negi Springfield, at your service. I'm an English teacher at the Mahora Academy for Girls in Japan and these three are my students."

"Seriously?! You're a teacher already?" Negi nodded bashfully. "Hey, Jazz, I think we finally found someone smarter than you!"

Jazz rolled her eyes but still agreed with Danny's assessment. "I have to admit, that's very impressive, Negi... oops, I mean, Professor Springfield. But a girls' school? That must be a challenge."

Negi smiled weakly. "It... er... it certainly isn't boring."

"You're cuter than our English teacher, Negi," Sam said with a smile. It may be un-Gothic to think it, but he was just so adorable; it was all Sam could do not to fondle the twisp of hair that stuck out from his forehead which, considering the subtle but obvious big-sister vibes the Asuna girl was radiating, might not be a good idea.. "But then again, so's Tucker." Tucker brightened, then frowned when he realized that ninety-nine-point-nine percent of life-forms on the planet were better-looking than Mr. Lancer. And that wasn't even including the ugly animals.

"What's at your booth?" Danny asked Chao and Satomi.

"Well..." Chao began, "We've got our own equipment for tracking ghosts, of course, but what we're really showing is some equipment designed to turn positive psycho-kinetic energy into ether currents capable of destabilizing quantum bonds." Everyone looked at her blankly. "In other words, we can turn affection and friendship into good mojo to undo bad mojo. It's a little out there, but we've had some great success in the field. You guys should come by the booth later." The Fentons promised they would just as the lights dimmed in the auditorium and the assembled paranormal researchers began to silence their conversations.

The stage was the only thing that was lit and a figure in a white suit walked to the podium. He was a middle-aged man of indeterminate age that could have a hard thirty or an easy fifty; his cut-to-the-skull black hair contrasted sharply with his suit and his skin was as gray as a living person could be.

The only real color on him was his featureless red tie laying above a black undershirt and even that was not reassuring; to the kids it looked like his chest cavity had been opened up in an autopsy, the thought disturbing even Sam who considered the _Friday The 13th _movies to be "chick flicks." His eyes were light, maybe gray but Danny couldn't tell at this distance and wasn't sure if he wanted to get any closer to check.

"Danny," Tucker whispered worriedly, "Is he a ghost?"

Danny peered intently at the man, trying to feel the chill that accompanied ghosts as they invaded our dimensional plane. He felt nothing of the sort, only noticing that the AC was set too lhigh and he was sweating. At least, he thought that was the reason. "No... no, he's human. Or... or at least not a ghost."

"Incredible!" Negi whispered, breaking Danny's fugue. "You can tell if a person is a ghost in disguise just by looking?" The three school girls were looking curiously at him as well.

"Uh... uh, well, it's what I grew up around, you know? We deal with ghosts all the time in my town and... you just get a feeling for them, y'know?" Danny shrugged and turned back toward the stage as the man began to speak. His voice was low but strong and as it trickled through the speakers in the auditorium it was like he was whispering in the audience's ear; everyone kept darting glances over their shoulder except for Jack, who was oblivious to anything but the fortune cookie he'd saved from the _Silver Dragon_.

"Ladies and gentleman, scientists and seekers of the universe's mysteries, welcome to Gestard Industries Paranormal Exposition. I am your host and financier, Evencio Gestard. For years Gestard Industries has broken ground in areas of medical research and made incredible discoveries that only serve to illustrate how little we actually know. It is for this reason that I started the annual paranormal exposition. After all, how many scientific discoveries were delayed because mankind oppressed those few who believed in the 'impossible'?"

"Darn right!" Jack muttered. He hadn't really heard Gestard, but had just broken the fortune cookie open and shoved one half in his mouth. "Mmmmm... blech!" He spit out the cookie and the paper fortune in the frizzy hair of a scientist in front of him. Jack stared at the man's head and considered retrieving the soggy fortune, then noticed Maddie had missed the whole thing and decided it was okay to leave it for the time being.

"Already this venture has borne fruit," Gestard continued. "Recent advances in the understanding of temporal mechanics and robotics technology can be directly attributed to the expos and the exchange of information that occurred at them. The improvements in the quality of life made by people like yourselves cannot be disputed and we are only moving forward. I am very excited at the promising projects on display here today and, as someone who knows about these things, I am certain that we have in this building the potential to change the world." Gestard's silverly eyes stared out into the darkness and, to Danny's mind, looked straight into his own. "A potential... I would like to help grow to its fullest."

"'Help'," Sam whispered to Danny and Tucker, "Meaning 'exploit'." Danny didn't answer or even look at her, still locked in his maybe-imaginary staring contest with Gestard. "We need to keep an eye on this guy if he comes sniffing around FentonWorks. Tucker, can you make sure all the patents are in place for the prototypes?"

"Mrs. Fenton made sure they were before we left," Tucker replied. "Geez, Sam, what's set you off about this guy?"

"I don't know," Sam admitted, "but he's giving me more creeps than a '_Care Bears_' marathon, urgh!"

"Know what his Care Bear name would be?" Tucker asked mirthfully. "'Corpsey'!"

"Heh, tell me about it. Maybe he's a Goth? Naw, Goths usually don't do the corporate thing. _And_ he's wearing a tie," Sam pointed out, like that fact was damning in itself.

Everyone applauded as Gestard finished his speech and moved off to the right of the stage as a large container was being pushed to the center. "And now, my colleagues, the centerpiece of our exposition... recently discovered in the cradle of human civilization, this artifact is in near perfect condition and made of a element not found on Earth or rarely even in this dimension. It is estimated by carbon-dating to be the oldest artificial construct in human history, having been created well over fifteen thousand years ago. Its origin is a mystery, it's creators equally so, but it is my hope that with the combined expertise of yourselves, we may be able to shed light on this conundrum. I present to you... _the Urn of Belak_!"

As Gestard gestured toward the container, the top slid off and the four corners fell away and revealed a large, dark-green urn. To Danny it looked like the kind of trophy you gave to the guy who came in dead-last, which kinda made sense since it was an urn. Almost as tall as Danny himself, Belak's urn was thin at it's base for about a foot until it widened in a three-foot-wide bell-shape with four crude handles around its edges.

The very top curved back in until a sealed opening about eight inches wide, but the most distinctive feature was the brass-colored disk that was attached to the top of the lid. A chill ran throughout Danny's body that turned his sweat to ice-water; he leaned forward in his seat unconsciously as if gravity had begun to favor the stage instead of the ground.

"(That,)" Asuna muttered in Japanese, "(is the ugliest thing I've ever seen.)"

"That," Jazz muttered in English, "is the ugliest thing I've ever seen."

"That," Jack muttered in the Jack Fenton way of thinking, "is the_ coolest_ thing I've ever seen!"

"The material of its construction," Gestard continued, "is the mineral ectoranium, a material that was recently discovered by my colleague Vlad Masters. It is impervious to ectoplasmic entities and their abilities and rarely found in large quantities in this dimension. One theory is that an ancient people constructed the urn to imprison ghostly beings, much like we do technologically these days. Several enterprises and think-tanks here at the expo have been chosen to petition for the chance to study this Ninth Wonder, their worthiness to do so is to be judged by their contributions on display this week..."

Gestard went on as Danny shook his head clear and turned to his family. "Is FentonWorks is in the running to study the urn? If this thing's got anything to do with ghosts, you'd think we'd be at the top of the list," the halfa said in rare pride at his family's brand name.

"I did remember seeing something about it in the letter," Maddie said off-handedly, still staring at the urn analytically. "To be honest, I thought it was a raffle... ohmigod! The man in front of us has half-eaten food in his hair! How did... _Jack_..."

Jack looked at her innocently and asked even more innocently, "What, sweetie-pumpkins?"

"Jack, get that out of his hair!" Jack sighed and began to pick at the fortune cookie with Fenton Unlodger (really a pair of tongs) retrieved from his pocket. "Honestly... _again_, Jack?"

"Hey, I wanted to sit in the front row, but nooooo! You wanted a better view!"

"(They fight like Negi-sensei and Asuna-kun,)" Satomi noted. Chao giggled while Negi just looked confused.

"(I have no idea what you're talking about,)" Asuna grumbled as Gestard finished and the lights slowly illuminated the auditorium. Being an audience of researchers, everyone quickly got up to tend to their experiments until the space was nearly vacant.

"We all hope to see you later," Negi said as his students literally dragged him away by the collar for lunch; Sam had suggested the _Silver Dragon_ to them since Chao was also something of a burgeoning Chinese chef in addition to being a scientific wunderkind.

Sam and Tucker awkwardly waved goodbye to the Mahora gang, Tucker remarking, "What I wouldn't _give_ to be hauled away by Japanese schoolgirls. I don't even think Negi appreciates it yet." Sam smiled and-in the friendliest contact the friends had all day-patted Tuck on the shoulder. Understandably, he still flinched.

"C'mon kids!" Jack said as he extricated the last of the cookie from his unsuspecting colleague and tossed it into a trash can. "Let's go prep the equipment and take a look at the competition; I want to get a shot at the urn!" Maddie smiled at him, their quarrel forgotten as the gleam of boyish excitement made her heart swell with love.

Danny made a face at his mother's overt adoration and looked back toward the stage for one last glimpse of the urn. In front of the container Gestard was standing with his hands on his cane, staring right back at Danny with clear interest. Danny shuddered and averted his eyes, still wanting to think it was all just a coincidence... and not believing it for a second.

* * *

Author's Note: Wow at the cameos, huh? But why is Christopher Loyd and Michael J. Fox hanging around in cartoon crossover universe? Well, there was a Back to the Future animated series in the early nineties (Wikipedia it if you want); in fact, the voice actor for Marty McFly was David Kaufman, who is best known today for being the voice of Danny Fenton and Jimmy Olsen on _Superman: The Animated Series_.

Negi Springfield, Asuna Kagurazaka, Chao Lingshen, Satomi Hakase are from the anime and manga _Negima!_ (you can probably guess it's a favorite of mine) which is about a young but brilliant British wizard (Negi) being sent to teach a class of thirty-one students at girl's academy in Japan (only in anime). Two of his students, Lingshen and Hakase, are super-geniuses so I use that as my justification for including them. I did want to have the entire _Negima!_cast in a future story (it's a _big _cast, thirty-plus counting Negi's class), but I just decided to cram in as many cameos as possible in the paranormal convention.

This won't be the last of them we see, you can be sure, and look for even more cameos when the convention finally opens. Here's a hint for one: "_**FAIRY GODPARENTS**_!"

'Semper Fidelius" is Latin for "always faithful." It's used for lots of organizations, but most know it as the motto for the United States Marine Corps who shorten it to Semper Fi.

Episode References: Ben's wild time in New York was in "Kevin 11." Max's double-crossing partner appeared in the episode "Truth.

Ectoranium is from the Danny Phantom episode and series finale "Phantom Planet." It's an element that can't be affected by ghost powers like Danny's. Phantom Planet doesn't take place in the Never Too Young stories, by the way. Mr. Lancer is Danny's English teacher from the show, an overweight bibliophile (book-lover) that shouts the names of various novels when surprised. (Ex. His pant's fall down and he shouts, "Moby Dick!" I kid you not.) The Fenton Sweat Lodge was in the episode, "What You Wish." The Fenton Unlodger is from the show, too.

The wavy sword Ben and Jake were looking at? Shan Yu's from _Disney's Mulan_. Makes you wonder why Hay Lin's family has it, hmmm...?

Evencio Gestard is an OC for NTY. What is his deal? What's he really want with the urn of Belak? Is he a corporate Goth? Find out as the story continues.


	6. Change Is In The Air

Disclaimer: The various copyrighted characters and settings are the property of their owners and are used without permission, profit, mayonnaise, mustard or pickles. _Mmmmm_... pickles!

Author's Note: Uh, chapter six. That's... that's pretty much it. Read on. Please.

* * *

Chapter Six: Change Is In The Air

* * *

"It's nice," Gwen said as she and the other kids descended inside the _Silver Dragon, _Jake carrying Fu Dog's carrier with him. "And not just for a basement." 

"Thanks!" Hay Lin said. "We fixed it up for Caleb, even though we have plenty of rooms upstairs he likes staying down here. Is it because you lived in the Infinite City all those years, Caleb?"

Caleb's head snapped up from where he was leaning against the wall. "Yeah, wha... what were we talking about?"

Hay Lin sighed. "The time-difference must really be messing with you. You're going to have to start taking Grandma's home remedies, starting tonight. And no arguments!" Caleb muttered and nodded; June, Gwen and Trixie were amused to see the tall young man was so whipped, er, _obedient_ to the younger girl.

"So you press this button," Ben said as he explained to Ray Ray how to operate the Omnitrix, "and the face pops up..." The circular center portion of the watch did just that with a series of tones and a silhouette of a large being with four arms appeared on the green display. "And you twist the dial to pick your alien, then slam it down to go hero!"

"Cooooool..." Ray Ray whispered. "What's the one on the screen do?"

"That's Four-Arms," Ben explained. "He's the really strong guy. Ah... I don't think he'd be a good fit under the restaurant, but let's see..." He twisted the dial a few more times. "Oh no, definitely not Heatblast... Upchuck! Naw, explosive puke is probably a bad idea..."

"It is?" Ray Ray asked incredulously, like the world obviously needed more exploding vomit.

"Wildmutt... no, bad breath... Wildvine... nah, exploding seed pods, why is there so exploding ones... _Ditto_! Of course!" Ben raised his hand and slammed it down on the dial; an explosion of green light made Ray Ray and the others cover their eyes.

When Ray Ray looked back, he was staring into two small, pupil-less green eyes that belonged to a creature a little taller than Ben Tennyson. It's white arms were nearly the length of its mostly black body with three green orbs arranged on its in an upside-down triangle on its stomach. It's head was flat with a small black fin and two ear-like protrusions on the sides. A raised symbol similar to the face of the Omnitrix lay upon it's chest. "Whaddaya think?" the creature asked in a high-pitched, sarcastic voice different from Ben's low-pitched, sarcastic tone.

"Cool..." Ray Ray said. "What does it do!?"

Ditto extended one of its hands and said, "Pull my finger!"

Ray Ray looked understandably unsure of this course of action, but curiosity got the better of him as he tugged on one of the creature's inhuman digits. Whatever he had been expecting wasn't what happened as Ditto appeared to melt as its features blurred, then it split into two identical beings. "The more the merrier!" the Dittos said in perfect harmony.

"Sweet!" Ray Ray said appreciatively.

"Wow!" Hay Lin said. "That's amazing! I've always wanted to see a real, live alien!" She walked over to the Dittos and poked one on the arm. "And they're so cute! How many copies can you make?"

"I don't know," Ditto One admitted, then grinned. "Let's find out!" The two Dittos split into four Dittos, then eight, then sixteen, then thirty-two...

"Ben, knock it off!" Gwen shouted as she elbowed a Ditto away from her only to have seven more aliens replace him. "There's not enough room in here for this!"

"This is really cool, Ben..." Hay Lin said as she was handed over the crowd of Dittos like she was at a rock concert. "But I think we're violating fire codes with this many of you in the basement."

"Hey!" June yelped as she knocked several Dittos back with her enhanced strength. "Watch the hands, E.T.!"

"Sorry!" twenty of the Dittos said in apology. Still leaning against the wall, Caleb stared at the mass of aliens in sleepy disbelief as they began to merge back into each other until only five remained.

"You're lucky you didn't break anything," Gwen said to the Dittos.

"Who, me?" one Ditto said. "'Grace' is my middle name-oops!" Another Ditto had bumped into a stack of heavy boxes that began to fall towards an oblivious Ray Ray.

Gwen quickly raised her arms and said a barely audible incantation, blue spheres of magic appearing around her hands; a similar energy field surrounded the boxes and placed them back in their previous position, with Ray Ray none the wiser. Gwen lowered her hands and shot an exasperated look at Ben/Ditto. "Way to go, '_Grace_'! At what point in our lives did I become your babysitter?"

"I don't need a babysitter!" the Dittos protested as the Omnitrix symbol on their chests began to flash red and emit low beeps. Four of the Dittos lifted into the air and flew toward the original, merging together in a flash of red light. When the light cleared Ben Tennyson stood in its place; he threw his arms up and said, "Thank you, thank you, I'm here all week!"

"That is just..." Ray Ray said in amazement. "Show me another one!"

Ben shook his head and held up the watch, pointing to the red that had replaced the green areas. "It's gotta recharge first, sorry. There's a master control I found once, but I'm still looking for the combination."

"So, it's a toy?" Caleb asked. Earthern technology was always strange to him (he still couldn't use Cornelia's iPhone) but he had never heard of anything like this. And what exactly was an "alien?"

Ben looked offended at Caleb's question. "'Toy'? Hey, I've done a lot of good with this thing! I've stopped bank robbers and evil aliens and saved lots of people! Well, me, Grandpa and Gwen have." Gwen smiled gratefully at the once-in-a-blue-moon acknowledgment. "But mostly me and Grandpa." Gwen rolled her eyes.

"What a family you guys have!" Hay Lin exclaimed. "A sorceress, a superhero and a secret agent!"

"You've got quite a family yourself," June pointed out. "I guess we all do. Blood is strong stuff." Unnoticed by the others, Caleb winced at June's words.

"Show them the invisibility, Hay Hay!" Ray Ray urged. Hay Lin smiled enigmatically and suddenly vanished from sight like she'd never been there. Ben and Gwen clapped appreciatively while Trixie and Spud gave low whistles at the display of Guardian power.

"Thanks!" Hay Lin said, her voice seemingly coming from nowhere. "Each of the Guardians have our own little things: I'm invisible-_like Air_!-Cornelia can move things without touching them, Taranee can talk to us with her mind..."

Jake, dazed at the sight of his old friend disappearing, muttered, "Eye of the Dragon!" His eyes glowed like burning coals as he peered into the infrared spectrum and saw a Hay Lin-shaped mass of heat in front of him; the invisible Hay Lin turned her head toward him and yelped as she turned visible again. "Jake! Your eyes! What's wrong?"

Jake's eyes returned to normal. "Huh? Oh, uh... nothing, I just..."

Spud threw an arm around Jake's shoulder and said cheerfully, "C'mon, man, show'em what the AmDrag can do! Give Tennyson over there a lesson on how to really shift-shape! _Represent_!" The others were looking at him expectantly, clearly unsure of what Jake had going on.

Jake sighed. "I, ugh... well, okay. Best to just get it out, I guess. Remember when I said the 'American Dragon' thing was literal?" Stepping away from Spud, he held his hands outwards and said, "_Dragon Up_!" Mystical blue fire covered his hands and he pulled them close to his body as the flames engulfed his entire form; it happened so fast that Hay Lin didn't have time to become even mildly concerned, let alone be alarmed. The flames threaded through the molecules of clothing and flesh and rearranged them into a new form: a red dragon, ten feet long from head to tail with a crop of green-tinted hair on its head, a sinewy body, a eight-foot wingspan and a bright yellow underbelly.

The transformation received mixed reactions. Caleb suddenly became fully alert and dropped into a fighting stance, Jake's transformation reminding him of old adversaries from his home world. A startled Ben repeatedly pressed the button on the Omnitrix as he tried to transform himself again. Gwen and Hay Lin just stared while June nodded knowingly as she made the connection to what she knew of the Longs.

"No no no no, it's cool, it's cool!" Jake said to Ben and Caleb. "It's still me, not going to eat anyone!" He held up his hands in an appeasing gesture, the long black claws he now possessed not helping a whole lot.

"It's alright, you guys," June said as she stepped in front of Jake and held her hands up to calm the two boys down just like she'd done for panicked leprechauns. "Jake's a Protector just like me, taking care of magical creatures in New York like I do in Orchid Bay. He just, well, he's a magical creature himself." Caleb and Ben relaxed a little, still eyeing Jake's claws warily until the young dragon put them behind his back with a sheepish expression.

Hay Lin walked up to Jake with a wide-eyed expression. Jake looked down at her fearfully, unable to glean her feelings from her face. "Hay? I..."

He was interrupted by a shriek from Hay Lin-not one of fear, but one of delight. "Ohhhhhh myyyyyy godddddd! A real dragon! I'm friends with a dragon! That is soooooooooooooo cool! Just like in Grandma's stories! Just like in the Guardian story! Hey, we could be related! Sort of! Oh, I have to sketch you! Is that okay, Jake?! You have wings, you can fly?! Would you take me flying?! Well, I can fly, too, but I've never been _flown_ anywhere before! Do you need anything special to eat, like dragon food?! I bet I can make it for you! If you had kids, would your wife lay eggs-ohmigod, I can't believe I asked that, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... can I touch your wings?"

"Hey, Jakey?" Trixie said in an aside to the American Dragon. "I think she okay with the dragon deal."

Jake smiled in relief as he nodded to Hay Lin. "Sure, have a feel."

Hay Lin lightly touched the membranes of Jake's wings with her fingertips. "Wowwww... they're not like our Guardian wings... can you fly very fast?"

Jake's scaley chest inflated proudly. "Fast? Two hundred at tops and getting better all the time!"

"He adds about ten miles per hour when he eats bean burritos!" Spud offered. Jake shot him a dirty look. "What? Hey, show'em the fire breath, man!"

Jake looked around the basement at the dry, flammable junk the Lins stored beneath their restaurant. "Uh, maybe later."

Ben looked at the Omnitrix's red face and an idea formed in his head. Placing his arms behind his back he slowly scooted over to Jake, trying to look inconspicuous while doing it (his low whistling didn't help him as it made him look even more suspect.) He was about to touch the Omnitrix to Jake's wing when Gwen said in a quiet yet threatening voice, "Benjamin Tennyson..."

Now, Ben wasn't actually _afraid_ of his cousin, but when Gwen used that tone the immediate future did not look particularly good for him. Ben quickly placed the Omnitrix behind his back and gave Gwen an inquisitive "Hmmm?" while trying to look as innocent as humanly possible.

Gwen knew better. "Ben, a word please?" Ben sidled over, still looking blissfully unaware of everything. "I know what you're thinking, and don't even try it."

"Try what?"

Gwen had to give him credit, he was really working at it. "You want the Omnitrix to sample Jake's DNA so you can 'dragon up', admit it! I know your brain isn't fully-developed yet-Lord knows if it ever will-but even you should know better than this. You can't just steal a person's... _essence_ without asking!"

"I didn't want his essence, yuck!" Ben defended. "I just wanted the dragon DNA!"

_Lord, give me the strength not to _murder_ my aunt and uncle's only child. _"It's the same thing, idiot! And let me point out something: Jake is a_magical_ being. As impressive as your aliens are, I haven't found any evidence that any of them use magic and, according to my research, it can run in bloodlines which could mean that it might be found in DNA."

"And your point is?" Ben asked wearily. Gwen could be such a... such a _teacher_ sometimes.

"My point is-_dork_-that magic might mess with the Omnitrix in ways we can't imagine. Remember what happened those times the watch malfunctioned? You could be stuck and not able to change back, your aliens might mix and, oh yeah, remember when the _self-destruct_ activated...?"

"Alright, alright, I get it! Geez..." Ben pouted, then brightened up. "But you gotta admit, a real-live dragon is pretty cool!"

Gwen smiled in a surprisingly non-condescending manner. "Not as boring as you thought it would be, huh?"

Ben actually grinned back. "Guess not. Hey, Jake!" The young dragon turned to look at Ben. "You want to have a race sometime? I got an alien that's pretty fast in the air, name's Stinkfly!"

Jake nodded. "Sure thing, Ben Ten! Once it get's dark it's on!"

"'Ben Ten'?" Hay Lin asked. "Cool codename! Oh, hey guys, if we're done here, I got something I want to show you. It's upstairs in the hallway... uh, can you change back, Jake? Not that you don't go great with the restaurant, but..."

"Sure thing, Hay..." Jake's sensitive dragon nose began to twitch and his long neck twisted as he searched the basement. "Whoa, man, what is that stink?!"

Before he could change back one of the street-level windows popped open and a small green creature wearing medieval clothes and carrying a bag over its shoulder dropped into the basement. It was humming a tune that sounded like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and it walked toward the kids with his eyes closed and its large tooth-shaped pendant swinging around its neck, confident in its knowledge of the basement's layout. This confidence lasted until he bumped into Gwen's legs and his bulging eyes popped open to stare into Gwen's green ones.

Both of them screamed shrilly and leapt away from each other, the small being realizing that he was surrounded by unfamiliar people. Eyes darting around the room, he finally focused on Jake and gave another shrill cry followed by a plea. "Please don't bite Blunk's butt off, Blunk need it!" Blunk darted behind Hay Lin's legs and gripped them tightly, peering anxiously at Jake

"It's okay, Blunk!" Hay Lin said. "That's a friend of mine, Jake! He won't bite you! Will ya, Jake?"

"Naw, man," Jake said as his dragon form shimmered and dissolved into his regular self. "'Specially if you're where that stank is coming from." Blunk looked immensely relieved that Jake was normal again. "Bad deal with one of my peeps, little man?" It was an unfortunate fact that not all dragons were good people, Jake knew that from experience.

Blunk giggled nervously as he shook his head . "Hee, hee, Blunk like dragons, really! Nice dragon..."

Hay Lin made the introduction. "Everyone, this is Blunk. He's a Passling from Caleb's dimension and he's helped out W.I.T.C.H. lots of times." Hay Lin then introduced the others to Blunk by name.

"Man, that is the worst smell ever!" Ben said, his eyes watering.

"Like batoot crap!" Ray Ray agreed, then laughed as an idea came to him. "Dude, I'll bet you five bucks you can't hold your nose against him for thirty seconds!"

Ben grinned. "You're on!" The two enthusiastic youths put their noses to top of a confused Blunk's bald head.

June sighed. "Someone's getting brain damage from this." Ray Ray was the first to go, pulling away from Blunk and gasping for breath; Ben lasted an additional ten seconds before following Ray Ray's example. Spud began eyeing Blunk and tapped his chin thoughtfully.

Hay Lin sat down on Fu Dog's carrier to rest her legs and yelped when the wire-frame door blew off its hinges. Fu Dog leapt out of the carrier and held his front paws up in a fighting stance. "Hi-ya! Alright, I's ready to kick some assss... ah, aha..." Fu looked around at the assembled kids, then quickly fell to all fours and said, "Woof."

"Okay," Ben said as he coughed up Eau de Blunk, "I definitely heard that one!"

"Woof!" Fu repeated with feeling.

"You never told me dogs could talk," Caleb said to Hay Lin.

"Hey, I didn't know either," Hay Lin pointed out. "And I think it's only special dogs."

"It's cool, Fu," Jake said. "They're all in the know."

Fu cocked his head to the side and looked at June and Hay Lin. "Ohhhh... Yan and Jazzy's girls, aren't ya? Wow, strong resemblance there, ladies. Fu Dog, at your service!" The Shar Pei crossed one leg over his chest and bowed his head.

"Talking doggy want bone?" Blunk said as he pulled a green and rotten bone out of his bag and waved it in front of Fu Dog.

"Ewww!" Fu Dog said as he waved a paw in front of his face. "Not on your life, pal! 'Sides, the last time I took something from a Passling I ended up spending the night in a jail cell on Basiliade. Do you know what it's like being a dog on a world of cat people? Not a fun deal."

"Yes!" Everyone turned to stare at Spud, who had his nose on Blunk's head. He stood up wobbly and pumped his fist in celebration, staying conscious long enough to shout, "Victory!" before passing out from the olfactory overload and into Jake's arms.

"We have a winnah," June said dryly. An exasperated Trixie began waved her hand over Spud's face, trying to clear the air of Passling stink so the oxygen could get to her friend's brain.

Unable to do business with Fu, Blunk waddled over to Ben and appraised the Omnitrix. "Ooooooohhhhh... boy have nice watch! Trade with Blunk for tasty fly-catching paper?" Blunk grabbed Ben by the arm to better see the Omnitrix and his hairy hand gripped the red face of the deactivated alien device.

"No, don't touch-!" Ben began, but was too late. The Omnitrix's red components turned bright yellow as the watch began sampling the Passling's DNA. Blunk yelped and leapt back as the face of the watch face began spinning and flashing silhouettes of all the aliens Ben could change into. Finally it stopped and turned green again, signaling the device was ready for use.

"What was that all about?" Ray Ray asked.

Ben grimaced as Gwen explained. "When the Ominitrix is red, it can take DNA from aliens-and probably anything that's not human. Basically, Ben can change into his own version of Blunk now."

"Blunk in watch?" Blunk said, staring at the device in question. "Oooohhh... very small Blunk?"

"Sort of. So, Ben," Gwen asked, "What are you going to call your new '_hero_'?"

_Lame_ was the first thing that came to Ben's mind, but he didn't want to hurt the creature's feelings. "Hmmm... well, what can you do, Blunk? Got any superpowers or stuff?"

Blunk nodded vigorously. "Blunk _smell_!"

"Uh, yeah, kinda noticed that..."

"No, Blunk _smells_ things!' The Passling pointed to his small nose.

"It's true," Caleb said. "I've used Blunk to track down fugitives in Meridian. He's as good as Earth-what do you call them?-bloodhounds. Plus, he's got a talent for sneaking into places... like the royal pantry. There's not a lot of places a Passling can't get into." Blunk was beaming at Caleb, very unused to this amount of compliments.

Ben mused on this for a moment. Ray Ray held his still-burning nose and stated, "Man... talk about smelling it and dealing it..."

Ben's eyes lit up. "I've got it! _Smelt It_! As in, 'Whoever Smelt It, Dealt It'."

Blunk clapped his hairy hands together in joy. "Yeah, Watch Blunk have name!" The Passling stopped and sniffed the air, then looked at Hay Lin. "Trash taken out? Excuse Blunk, Blunk have to work to do!" He grabbed his bag and leapt from box to box until he scurried back out the window.

"One man's trash..." June began.

"Is Blunk's treasure," Hay Lin finished. "C'mon, let's go upstairs. I'm dying to show you guys my painting!"

"And I'm dying from asphyxiation," June quipped as she held her nose, causing the others to laugh.

The kids left he basement (Jake and Trixie supporting a still-dazed Spud and Fu walking on all fours, trying to stay "in character") and went to the upstairs hallway that connected the Lin's living areas. Hay Lin pointed to a painting on the wall; it looked like a work of fantasy as it depicted a giant snake man fighting five fairies in front of a castle. "I painted it for an art contest. It's called, '_Meridian Dawn_.' I made it when we were going through a tough time and needed some encouragement."

"Hey!" Trixie said as she pointed at the snake. "Ain't that the guy from the magazine? The one that wrecked city hall?"

"Yeah," Jake agreed, "But Hay... is that _you_?" He pointed to one of the fairies that did indeed resemble Hay Lin.

"That's me! When Will transforms us we, uh, we grow up a little!"

"Not just a 'little'," June said with a smirk.

"Oh!" Gwen's eyes lit up. "You're the Heatherfield Fairies! I read about you on the internet!" Hay Lin looked embarrassed as she recalled the Guardians' earlier conversation. "And you actually have those wings? They're beautiful... Ben! Stop that!"

Ben was inspecting the back of Hay Lin's shirt. "Hmmm... are there slits or do they just appear like... what? I was just looking."

Yan Lin appeared around the corner looking fairly exhausted and tucking a few stray hairs into her bun. "Whew! Sorry to bust in, kids, but things are getting crazy. Looks like you're going to have to start earning your keep earlier than I thought. Ready?"

"Ready and willing, Mrs. Lin!" a revitalized Spud said as he saluted the elder woman. "Just one question: where _do _the wings come out from? It's kinda bugging me, too, I mean... are there _cocoons_ involved or... or is there... _shedding_?"

* * *

"What's up, Danny?" 

"Huh? What do you mean, Sam?"

"What do I mean? What I mean is you're obviously on full alert and looking like Dash Baxter in the middle of a library." Sam's face softened from its usual sarcastic bent. "Is it because of all the ghost hunting equipment here at the expo?"

Danny sighed and sank in the inflatable couch that was a scaled-down replica of the one in the real FentonWorks building. The Fentons had retired to their booth after Gestard's speech to, in Jack's words, "make it as spiffy as possible!" Still unsettled by his experiences in the auditorium, Danny had watched his parents and Tucker make adjustments to equipment until Sam had approached him.

He wasn't sure what to say to her, truthfully; if he knew something was wrong, he would tell Sam and Tuck in a heartbeat, but right now he wasn't sure what had happened. Or if anything happened at all. "No, it's... well, maybe. I mean, half the people here are ghost-hunters so... maybe. Or maybe it's because I think I made Will sick at the _Dragon_. I never thought my ghost powers could affect someone like that."

Sam shrugged. "Well, Irma did say she was sensitive and it's pretty hot here; it might not have been you at all."

Danny sighed. "I wish I could believe that... well, she seemed okay when she left, so maybe I should just avoid touching her until we leave."

Sam smirked as an idea came to her. "Just picture her big, tough metal head boyfriend hitting you over the head with his guitar. That should help."

Danny chuckled dryly. "Yeah, that could do it!" His amusement at Sam's suggestion seemed to cure his melancholy and he stood up. "Hey, mom, dad, reporting for duty! What do you need me to do?"

"Not a darn thing!" Jack said cheerfully. "We're finished! Time for ice cream!"

"Low-fat ice cream," Maddie corrected as she patted Jack's stomach. "And then your father needs a nap from all that driving he did." She looked at her son with a critical eye. "You look a little out of it yourself, Danny; maybe you should take a walk or something. It's a little crowded in here and you look a little... well, _down_." Danny just shrugged in response.

"Isn't a little hot outside for a walk, Mom?" Jazz asked.

"Hmmm... oh! I know!" Maddie reached into a duffel bag and pulled out a U-shaped metal object with the FentonWorks logo on it; it looked like a high-tech neck massager... or a high-tech toilet seat. With the FentonWorks line of thinking it could very well be both. "Jack made this using the climate-control micro-technology in our Haz-Mat suits; the Fenton Temperature-Adjusting-Force-Field, or the T.A.F.F. for short."

"Like taffy!" Jack pointed out. "Mmmm... taffy! Er, what I mean is, the T.A.F.F. projects an energy-dampening field around the wearer that slows down or speeds up nearby molecules, reducing or increasing the temperature around you by almost thirty degrees!"

"Cool!" Tucker said, then added, "Pun intended. How did you think this up, Mr. Fen?"

"Easy: I needed something to cool off my summer-time hot chocolate! Try it on, Dan-O!"

Maddie handed the T.A.F.F. to Danny who eyed it warily; after all, his father had made it. Maddie smiled knowingly and whispered, "Don't worry, I've checked over it myself. It's perfectly safe. Put it around your neck once you're outside and press this button here and, if you need to, you can adjust the temperature with this dial. It's as easy as using as using a thermostat. Be sure to bring it back; I'm going to display it tomorrow when the convention opens. A big-time businessman is interested in using it for arctic exploration, so be careful with it."

"I will!" Danny said. "Tuck, Sam, you guys coming?"

They shook their heads. "Sorry, Danny," Sam said, "But your mom, Jazz and me are going shopping." Danny looked at her with disbelief written all over his face. "Hey, I shop! Occasionally. But it will be nice not to be shoved into frilly dresses like my mom does to me." Sam shuddered as she imagined the feel of pink-stained clothing on her pale skin. And _she_ was the scary one in her family?

"I want to check out the other exhibits," Tucker said. "Especially the one by Negi's students. Do you think they'll have autographed eight-by-tens?" Everyone rolled their eyes at Tucker. "What? I didn't mean any of _Negi_!"

"Hey, Dan-O," Jack said as he presented what looked like a grey digital recorder with a green lens. "Could you try the Fenton Recorder out, too? All the functions of a normal camera with infrared, night-vision and ghost-vision!" Danny took the camera reluctantly. "Don't worry, your mother looked over it."

"Keep your Fenton Phone on," Maddie said, pointing to the green-and-grey earpiece in Danny's left ear. "Just in case. Try to be back within a few hours, mkay?"

"Sure, Mom," Danny said as he left the inflatable building. "See you guys later." As soon as he was outside the convention center's doors he put the T.A.F.F. around his neck and looked through the eye-piece of the Fenton Recorder. "Sometimes I think my parents had me just because Jazz refused to be their guinea pig..." He activated the temperature-affecting device and felt the blistering summer heat fade to a more comfortable seventy-five degrees. "Whoa, it works! Not bad, parental units."

Danny walked through the parking lot and headed for a grove of trees far from the convention center. Deciding that walking wouldn't clear his head enough, Danny had resolved that he was going to do what he hadn't done the entire trip to Heatherfield: "go ghost" and get some flight time in.

Once he was a respectable distance from the building and hidden from view, Danny stood with his legs apart and his fists clenched as he prepared for the transformation with his trademark battlecry. "I'm going... wait, there's no one around to hear it... ah, what the heck... _I'm going __ghost_!"

With a _whoosh-_ing sound a bright circle of light expanded from his torso and split into two rings that traveled up and down his body. As they swept over him his physiology and clothing changed, his alter ego revealed by the extra-dimensional energies.

His dark hair became stark white, his blue eyes alighting with green ghost power. His clothes became a mostly black jumpsuit with white glove-, belt-, collar- and boot-like colorations on the appropriate areas. A stylized captial D with flaming tendrils adorned his chest and a faint white glow framed his profile. Glowing faintly with a ghostly light, Danny Phantom smiled as he stared at the blue Heatherfield sky and knew it was his to conquer... even if he was still wearing what looked like a metal toilet seat around his neck.

As easily as Hay Lin had bent the light in the air earlier, Danny shifted himself out of the dimensional plane until he was invisible to the naked eye. Pushing off with his feet he launched a hundred feet into the air, gravity no longer having control over him as long as he willed it not to. Still wary of all the ghost-hunting equipment (not to mention the ghost-hunters that used the ghost-hunting equipment), he sped away from the convention center with all possible haste.

Within seconds he was flying over Heatherfield's bay unseen by the sun tanners lying on the boats and beaches, swooping a little lower to check out a sorority on holiday having a suntan lotion fight (_a perfect test of the Fenton Recorder_, Danny thought) and getting some distance when he flew over something that might have been an extremely overweight woman or a whale in a bikini.

Gaining some altitude, Danny felt his cares fall away as the eternal euphoria of flying massaged his soul. Of all the ghost powers he possessed, this was his favorite. So what if Gestard and his creepy urn still existed? Up here, they were as insubstantial as the clouds.

As he headed back over land he sighted the _Silver Dragon_ below, it's small stature contrasting with the modern buildings around it. Seeing the restaurant made Danny think of Will, his unknowing fan, and he thought about how cool it would be to take her flying like he had with his friends and Jazz. It was always more fun to bring others along and he was certain that Will would have the time of her life. Danny briefly toyed with the idea of showing up at Will's apartment (as Phantom) with the offer to fly her anywhere she wanted. He smiled as he thought of her shocked and delighted face at his arrival and her thrill at flying with her hero.

He sighed regretfully as he immediately realized how bad an idea that was. For one thing, Danny was certain that his dual nature was the cause of Will's brief illness; besides her safety, she might make the Connection if Fenton and Phantom elicited the same reaction. Still, there had to be some way to show his appreciation for her support... maybe an autograph? Wait, weren't autographs supposed to requested, or they make the person giving it look conceited?

Maybe he could drop a hint tonight... _Hey, Will, if I see Phantom, I'll mention you to him_. No, he'd only be in Heatherfield a week at most and what if Phantom would just _happen _to show up? _Hey, Will, maybe you should post something on the internet about an autograph_. That could work!

Danny was so caught up in thought that he was surprised when he realized he was only a few dozen feet from the roof of the _Silver Dragon_. He saw Negi and his three students entering the restaurant. Feeling curious and slightly voyeuristic, Danny dove closer and followed them inside, phasing through the doors with his intangibility. Hovering slightly behind Negi, he inspected the strange staff the boy carried around; it looked like something Gandalf from _Lord of the Rings_ would accessorize with.

Negi's small ermine shuddered violently and turned to stare right at Danny, causing the ghost boy a little surprise but not too much concern; animals were sensitive to the presence of ghosts and Danny himself when transformed. Sure enough, the ermine was only looking in his general direction and didn't actually see Danny. Feeling whimsical or maybe just plain goofy, Danny smiled and waved to the rodent.

As if that were a cue, Chamo turned and stuck his snout next to Negi's ear and whispered-actually _whispered_: "Bro, we got company! I think there's a spirit or something following us!"

Danny was so thrown by the ermine's speech he nearly lost his invisibility right then and there. He managed to compose himself as Negi whispered back to the ermine, "Really? Is it hostile?"

The ermine shook his head, the human expression looking downright bizarre on the small animal. "Don't think so... but it's definitely_there_!" Chamo pointed a paw at Danny. "Or maybe over there... hmmm... or maybe _there_..." Chamo was now pointing at some high school girls in halter tops and mini-skirts. "We should investigate, eh, Negi? _Hee__hee_..."Asuna whacked the ermine on the head and harshly muttered something in her native tongue about perverted rodents that made Satome blush and giggle.

Danny swallowed nervously and began to distance himself from Negi and his talking "bro." Now floating near the ceiling to avoid bumping into anyone, Danny saw Hay Lin rushing to greet Negi's party. "Hello, my name is Hay Lin and I'll be your waitress today! Party of three?"

(Yes, please. May we have a table next to a window?) Chao asked in Mandarin Chinese; Hay Lin looked at her blankly as she tried to remember her language lessons with Yan Lin. "Oh, sorry. I thought... yes, please, and could you put us near a window? I need to get a little sun for the Vitamin D production in my epidermis."

"Oh, of course!" Hay Lin said as she lead them to a table, not sure exactly what the customer had said but thinking it reminded her of Taranee. "Sorry I didn't understand you at first, my grandma would... oh, but I love your uniforms!" She looked at Chamo. "Uhm... you might want to hide your weasel, the health department doesn't like us having rodents in here..." Danny thought he saw a vein throb on the ermine's head as it ducked into Negi's coat. "He's really cute, though!"

Danny floated over to where the Browns from the convention center were eating. He was barely paying attention when something caught his ear. "I tell you, Doc, '07 is gotta be my favorite year of the two thousands. The cars are still on the ground and the things they've come up with, like personal digitized assistants and camera telephones, are amazing!"

Doctor Brown nodded. "It's an exciting time, to be sure, especially this particular summer. Not so sure we want to stick around for all of it, though. It's going to get a little rough later on... Verne, stop hiding your vegetables in your hat!" The younger of the man's sons was discreetly placing bits of broccoli in his coonskin hat and froze when he was caught. Danny smiled at the boy's ploy as himself had used his intangibility to dispose of numerous vegetable side dishes at the Fentons' dinners.

"It's freezing in here!" The doctor's wife said as she rubbed her shoulders. "Emmett, could you see if they could adjust the temperature?" Danny swallowed as he realized the T.A.F.F. was still working and was affecting everyone around him.

"Certainly, Clara. Miss?" The doctor said to a passing Hay Lin. "Could you do something about your air conditioning? My wife is a little cold."

"The air?" Hay Lin asked with a funny look on her face and turned to stare _exactly_where Danny was floating. Not sure what was going on, but pretty sure he needed to get out of the restaurant soon, Danny flew towards the back of the _Dragon_, phasing through the kitchens and an mostly unwitting Spud ("My stomach feels extra-funky!") before emerging in the alley behind the _Silver Dragon._

Landing on the dirty pavement and slumping against a dumpster, Danny became visible again and tried to figure out what had just happened. Before he could formulate any solid theories (other than the T.A.F.F. messing with his head) a bizarre shriek sounded from inside the garbage receptacle.

Danny whirled and faced the garbage dumpster with his free hand full of green ectoplasmic energy before he realized that it was _two_ shrieks: one high and obviously coming from a young girl, the other belonging to a gruffer voice. The owner of the gruffer voice came flying over the edge of the dumpster and slammed into Danny's chest before he could react; also, Danny was stunned by the incredibly nasty smell that came off of the small creature. Danny had smelled some of the worst the Ghost Zone had to offer and this was on a even higher level..

All Danny could see was bulging yellow eyes with red pupils on a green face that looked like a goblin from a kid's fantasy film. "Gah! More ghost people! Why ghost people in Blunk's home away from home? Blunk leave now!" The goblin hopped off Danny and quickly scampered up a wall like a spider until it vanished from sight.

Danny just lay there for a while, wondering what kind of town Heatherfield really was before it registered in his mind that the... _Blunk_ had said, "ghost _people._" As he sat up he came face-to-face with another pair of eyes, these as green and glowing as his own. "Gah! You! What are you doing here?"

"Is that any way to greet your favorite cousin?" the girl retorted as she straightened her white ponytail. Besides her hair and eyes she wore a suit similar to Danny's, only with the black-and-white coloring more baggy and asymmetrical, not to mention baring her midriff in a way that would not exactly have worked on Danny's physique.

Danny smirked at his female clone. "I guess not, even if she's my only cousin. So, Dani, what brings you to scenic Heatherfield?" _And in a dumpster behind a restaurant, too_?

Danielle Phantom shrugged and quickly placed her hands behind her back. "Oh, you know... just seeing the sights." A unexplainable shiver ran through her small frame.

Danny had his moments of mental density, but this was not one of them. "Is everything okay, Dani? What's that in your hand?"

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing..."

"C'mon, let me see..."

"No, it's noth-hey!" Danny's arm had went intangible and shot through Danny's torso to snatch whatever was in her hand away. "Personal space, hello?!"

"So sue me," Danny said with a grin before he looked at what Dani had been hiding from him. His smile vanished as he saw the half-eaten dinner roll, noting that the bite taken out of it was too big to have come from Dani herself. He looked at Dani who hung her head in shame. "Dani... look, it's okay, I know things haven't been easy since you left Vlad..."

"It's just temporary!" Dani said, almost sobbing. "I just... I do odd jobs for people to get money for food... it's just..." Glowing tears fell to the pavement under her face.

Danny knelt and put his arms around his kin's shoulder and held her to him; after a moment she returned the embrace. "Cousin, I am never ashamed of you, okay? If you need help, you should come to me, alright?" Danny pulled away to lift her chin up and looked in her moist eyes. "Now, let's get you something _good _to eat. Wait right here while I run into the _Silver Dragon_, okay?" Dani nodded as the transformation rings changed Danny Phantom back into Danny Fenton.

"I don't want to be any trouble..." Dani said as she transformed like Danny into her human self, a twelve-year-old girl dressed in a baggy blue poncho and red shorts and a matching beanie. Since she was Danny's clone, she naturally had his blue eyes and black hair, not to mention his fierce Fenton pride.

Danny patted her on the head. "The only way you're trouble is if I'm worried about you, okay? Now, what are you in the mood for?"

"Uhm... noodles would be fine, I guess. Danny?" Danielle asked as he rounded the corner. "Can I ask you something?"

Certain she wanted some advice on her ghost powers, Danny nodded sagely. "Sure."

"Uhm... what's up with the toilet seat around your neck?"

* * *

"I am so sorry about this, Jake," Hay Lin said as she handed a stack of menus to the American Dragon. "You guys should be resting after your trip, not helping me out!" 

"Hay, it's all good!" Jake reassured her. "No way are we going to let you get rail-roaded while we're here! Besides, Spud's a natural at this sort of thing, he does it all the time."

"I've got the orders for table seven," June said as she carried five meals on a platter that a grown man would have trouble lifting. "Trixie's taking care of the group that just came in."

"Can we help?" Gwen asked, pointing to herself and Ben.

Hay Lin reluctantly nodded. "Well... you could help with the tables."

Gwen nodded, then turned to Ben who was twisting the dial on the Omnitrix. "She means clean the tables, not_ break _them."

Just about every one of the visitors had been pressed into service for the _Dragon_'s lunch crowd. The kids (under Hay Lin's supervision) were working the floor as they took orders and cleared tables, subtly using their extra-ordinary talents to add in the task; Gwen ended up doing the work of three people having honed her magical abilities doing chores around her Grandfather's RV. Jasmine Lee was helping Yan cook in the kitchen and arguing good-naturedly just as much as they were preparing the food. Max and Lao Shi were preparing the attic and the basement for their new occupants, Lao transforming into his dragon form to move the largest of the loads.

The only one not working was Caleb, who had been ordered to take a nap by Mrs. Lin. Hay Lin was certain her grandmother had used some sort of Guardian mind control to force the former rebel to rest, but considering how beat Caleb looked lately she wasn't about to call Mrs. Lin on it-unless she wanted to learn it to use on Caleb later. For his own good, of course. And maybe if he was being stubborn about wearing the clothes Hay Lin designed for him.

Hay Lin was considering checking on Caleb to make sure he was actually sleeping when the door bell rang, signaling someone had entered the restaurant. Secretly exasperated that she had yet another customer to deal with, the Air Guardian still put on a pleasant face as she turned to greet the person complicating her life and was surprised to see that it was Danny Fenton. "Oh! Hey, Danny! What brings you back here? Did you leave something?"

Danny smiled at the phrase, as he was extremely relieved that he'd left the T.A.F with Dani behind the restaurant. "Hi, Hay Lin. Could I get some noodles and rice to go? They're for my dad." Since it was obvious that Jack Fenton was a man who enjoyed his food it was a good excuse. Danny looked around at the crowded restaurant. "Um, whenever you can fit me in, of course."

"Oh, that's okay!" Hay said. "Just some noodles and rice... anything to drink with that?"

Danny thought about what Danielle would want, then mentally rolled his eyes as he realized she likely possessed the same taste buds as him. "Fruit juice," he decided, trying to make a nutritional choice. "Dad... he needs the vitamin C. Health reasons."

Hay Lin placed the order and noticed that the flow of customers had ebbed a bit. "Is there anything you'd like me to bring tonight, Danny? Since you're here and all."

"Oh, nothing in particular. Heh, Fentons aren't picky eaters. Hey, uh, have you heard from Will, is she doing alright?"

Taranee had used her telepathy (a particularly useful Fire Guardian power) to check in on Will and informed the rest of W.I.T.C.H. that she was doing fine; at least, as fine as she could be cleaning her room. "Yeah, she's great, don't worry about it. You're a real nice guy, Danny, you know that? I bet you've got girls chasing you around back home!"

Danny smiled lopsidedly. "Well, I try. Uh, to be nice, not making girls, uh, chase... me..."

"Hey, Danny!" Ben said as he pushed a cart of dirty dishes to the kitchens. "You here looking for that ghost Spud couldn't find?"

"Danny's picking up some food for his dad," Hay Lin explained. "No offense, Danny, but he can really put it away!"

Danny laughed out loud. "None taken! Mom says that Dad must have a wormhole in his stomach."

Danny's laughter attracted the attention of the Browns and Negi's party. "Hullo there, Danny!" Negi said. "Care to join us?"

"Thanks, but I have to go," Danny replied, trying not to stare at the ermine poking its head out of Negi's coat; unfortunately, his gaze drifted (accidentally!) to Asuna's chest. Judging from the murderous look in Asuna's eyes, the attention was not appreciated. "_Gulp_... just picking some food up for Dad."

Doc Brown blinked at the sight of Negi and the Mahora girls, almost as if he recognized them. Then he turned to Danny and smiled. "Ah, Daniel _Fenton_. Now I remember; it's an honor to finally meet you. I didn't recognize you earlier." He stood and extended his hand toward Danny, who reluctantly took it. "Please thank your mother for recommending this place, would you?"

"Um... sure. I'll do that, sir." Doctor Brown excused himself and went back to his family.

"Gettin' props from the doc?" Jake mused as he placed menus. "The Fentons must have a killer rep."

"We, uh... we do have a reputation," Danny admitted.

"Got your order!" Hay Lin said as she returned with the food in several cartons and worked the register with almost supernatural speed. "Here you go, Danny! Tell your dad I'll bring him something good tonight; the_Silver Dragon_ always takes extra-special care of our customers!"

"Thanks, I'll tell him that," Danny said as he paid. "Sorry I gotta bail, but it's a busy day." _And how_. "See you tonight!" The kids said goodbye as Danny left the restaurant, maybe the happiest one to see him leave being Asuna Kagurazaki.

(He was staring at my chest!) Asuna complained to her professor and classmates; all three of them glanced at Asuna's mostly inconspicuous torso, secretly wondering what Danny could be looking at with such interest. (What are you looking at?)

For one of the servers Danny's exit became a golden opportunity. "Be back in a minute," June said as she went out the front doors of the _Dragon_. Ducking behind one of the two guardian lion statues that defended the entrance to the restaurant, the Te Xuan Ze watched as Fenton rounded the corner to the restaurant, then after a few seconds began to follow cautiously.

Danny made his way back to Dani with the food and found the surprising sight of his "cousin" trying on the T.A.F.F. "Man, that does look like a toilet seat. I figured you were hot in that oufit so... hey!" Danny had noticed the T.A.F.F. was set to nearly one hundred degrees Fahrenheit; despite this and her thick poncho, Danielle was shivering so badly her teeth were chattering. "Dani, what's wr..."

"Achoo!" Danny sneezed and a large patch of ice formed on the alley in between her and Danny.

Danny smiled as he realized the problem. "It looks like someone's getting their freezing powers. I remember when the same thing happened to me."

Danielle shrugged weakly. "It's like I'm always inside a refrigerator. It's not so bad during summer, but when winter comes around..."

"No problem, I can teach you how to control it. First, let's get out of here, there's some weird stuff going down at this restaurant. Let's go invisible so no one sees us. " The two halfas transformed into their ghost selves and turned themselves, their food and their FentonWorks gear invisible and flew out of the alley.

June had caught the last part of Danny's instructions and was slowly inching around the wall of the restaurant to catch a glimpse of whomever he was talking to. When she glanced at the back alley, she was surprised to see no one there. Stepping out from cover, the Te Xuan Ze looked for anything suspicious and almost immediately sighted the patch of ice Danielle left behind. Bending down on one knee, June ran her fingers over the ice that couldn't possibly exist on such a hot day.

She saw her own puzzled expression in the frozen water, curled nose and freckles between brown eyes. For a moment, she also a flash of black and white against the blue sky, but when she turned to look upward there was, again, nothing to see.

For a girl who lived in a world that most only saw half of, that meant exactly squat. It was beginning to look like Danny Fenton might require some hurting after all; too bad, really. But in June's experience, it was always the nice ones that caused the most trouble.

* * *

Author's Note: In case you were wondering why Doc Brown wanted to shake Danny's hand, it's because his knowledge of the future has led him to figure out Danny Phantom's identity. Another thing: Hay Lin didn't actually _see_ Danny while he was invisible, but the Temperature Adjusting Force-Field was affecting the molecules of the air so much she noticed it. 

Episode References: When Gwen mentions the times the Omnitrix malfunctioning, she means the episodes "A Small Problem" (Ben forced the transformation and got stuck as Grey Matter), "Dr. Animo and the Mutant Ray" (Ben damaged the Omnitrix and his alien forms merged together) and the Ben 10 animated movie "Secret of the Omnitrix." Boy, quit messing with the thing! "Going hero" is a phrase Ben uses when transforming: ex. "I'm going hero!"

The Omnitrix can absorb alien DNA when red; this was used several times during season three. Usually Ben gets ten minutes as each alien, but it's mentioned in the series that using Ditto's power of multiplication is a strain on the watch's power; making dozens of copies severely cut down on the time limit, or at least that's what I'm going with.

The leprechauns in June's show are tall and green-skinned with big ears, while the ones in American Dragon are the traditional Irish mascots we know from Lucky Charms boxes. What's with the discrepancy? Since June's leprechauns seem to be hippies, I'm going with magical drug use in the sixties; farrrrr out...

Batoots are magical creatures from Juniper Lee.

Dani Phantom premiered in the DP episode "Kindred Spirits" and appeared again in "D-Stabilized" and "Phantom Planet." She's a favorite character of mine and even inspired a character named Dee in my W.I.T.C.H. next-generation fic series D.J.I.N.N.; I plug because I care (about reviews and my hit counter.) The T.A.F.F. and the Fenton Recorder are my own creations while the Fenton phones are introduced in "Fanning the Flames" as two-way communication devices and also block brain-washing ghost noises.

Blunk is a character from the W.I.T.C.H. TV show only and Basiliade is featured in the comics that inspired the show. It's a planet of cat people and humans that W.I.T.C.H.'s boss the Oracle came from. In the episode "Ambush at Torus Finley" Blunk mentions his uncle got his butt bit off by a dragon, hence his wariness of Jake; the Passling also ate the flies off a piece of fly paper in "The Labyrinth." The Infinite City is the underground rebel hideout that Caleb and W.I.T.C.H. fought from in the show. Hay Lin has an alien fixation and interest in sci fi in the comics, not so much in the show as she seems more interested in art; her painting is from "X is for Xanadu."

As per the unwritten rules of anime, Chamo is the mandatory pervert in _Negima!_ that steals panties and lusts after teenage girls, even if he is a rodent. Gotta love the Japanese.

Fu Dog gets his name from those lion statues you see guarding buildings in China and a pair also exist outside the _Silver Dragon_ entrance in _WITCH_.


	7. Warnings Seen and Unheard

Disclaimer: Never Too Young is a crossover of copyrighted characters that I do not own the copyrights to. Got a beat to it, doesn't it?

Author's Note: This is kinda dumb, but for WITCH watchers the Heatherfield Convention Center is supposed to be the building where the Vance Michael Justin concert was held in "O is for Obedience." Told ya it was dumb.

* * *

Chapter Seven: Warnings Seen and Unheard

* * *

_I don't remember buying that_, Will thought as she dug through a pile of clothes on the floor of her room. _It looks like something Cornelia would wear... oh, that _is_ Cornelia's. I should have known from the smell of Caleb's cologne and Napoleon's hairs on it. Geez, I'm freaking Sherlock Holmes all of a sudden._

Will looked around her room like she was a sanitation worker in the middle of a junkyard. She hadn't been kidding when she said it would be an enormous task cleaning her domicile, but she wanted it to look good for June and the new kids. In a weird way, Will was beginning to see why her mom was always going on about first impressions. She didn't think Danny or Jake or any of them cared in the least about her messy room, but she did want to impress them a little, make a statement like, "This girl has her stuff together."

Will rolled her eyes. _How far from the truth was that_? She was tossing Cornelia's shirt on the bed when a shiver went down her spine just as her stomach did a simultaneous flip-flop. She gasped and placed on hand on her chest to steady herself and felt a bump beneath her shirt; it was the Heart of Candracar, a talisman shaped like a small pink crystal ball and held in an ornate frame that Will, as its Keeper, used to transform the Guardians. It held various other powers and sometimes had a will of its own (Irma had thought that an ironic turn of phrase when Will said as such).

Will removed the Heart from the shirt and stared at it. It was flashing like a strobe, a very different illumination than its usual calm glow. Will struggled to connect with it and wasn't sure what she was feeling, until she remembered having the same emotion when she had dinner with Matt's family for the first time.

The Heart was nervous. _Very _nervous, but it wasn't "saying" why. After a minute the Heart calmed down and returned to normal. It took Will five minutes of staring at the talisman before she could return to cleaning her room, but she wouldn't be able to calm herself down until hours later.

* * *

The Heatherfield convention center was one of the highest rated in the country in magazines and on websites that dealt with convention centers and such. Besides the spacious main floor and various auditoriums and assembly rooms, there were small private board rooms on the second and third floors for the meetings that were best kept... well, private.

All but one of the board rooms were currently empty, the one that was occupied being what was referred to in the HCC brochure as "the Presidential Suite." There was an indoor bar, a large fifty inch flat-screen monitor at the end of the marble table and a spectacular view over one of the tributaries that broke through Heatherfield's countryside. It was, simply put, a place where bigwigs did serious business. Naturally (in his own mind) it was the perfect place to have the privilege of hosting Vlad Masters, the public identity of Vlad Plasmius.

The ghost-human hybrid/multi-billionaire was sitting with his arms folded and his legs crossed in the manner of someone being stood up for a very important date. He wasn't angry, but the impatience that he'd felt earlier in the day was returning with a vengeance. If he was waiting for anyone else he'd be livid, irked at the very least and eager to show that displeasure when the target of his ire walked into the room.

Considering his host, however, Vlad knew better than to throw a hissy fit over a few minutes of his time. Evencio Gestard was one of the few people on the planet that Vlad had any measure of respect for, mainly due to the sheer enigma of the man as much as his accomplishments. And, most grudgingly of all, because he had more money than Vlad. Only a few billion, thankfully.

A little over a decade ago Gestard had appeared on the radar and revolutionized... damn nearly everything, to be honest, with his theories on temporal mechanics and unparalleled knowledge of the material world. No one knew where he came from (naturally, everyone from MIT to community colleges across the world wanted to claim him) and the only explanation from the subject himself was that he was "escaping the tyranny of a spoiled despot." The most popular theories were that Gestard came from a dictatorship so severe that he no longer used his own name out of fear of assassination, though the man had so much money it seemed unlikely he could fear anything the world had to throw at him, as his yearly profits put most petty tyrants to shame.

Plus, to those who knew him best like Vlad, Gestard's ruthlessness was as cold and effective as the machines he created, particularly the surgical robots that could dissect a cadaver in thirty seconds flat. If anyone short of the United Nations declared war on Evencio, they were unlikely to come out the victor. Vlad could admit to himself that he was a little unnerved by his associate, but never afraid. Not Vlad Plasmius, no!

Of course, Vlad made sure never to forget to send a birthday card to Gestard, especially the ones that played music; those were his favorites and it was common courtesy between billionaires, after all. Maybe the "Don't Fear The Reaper" card this year?

Hmmm... maybe not. Wrong impressions could be... fatal for friendships.

Vlad was going over song choices in his head when the door knob to the conference turned and clicked. Vlad was on alert as the person entered the room, his pale blue eyes ready to turn to the blood red of his ghost form and smite the intruder if need be. He relaxed when a man in a lab coat and tie appear, his confused expression made almost humorous behind his rectangular glasses. Other than a brown goatee similar to Vlad's own white soul patch he was very unremarkable in appearance, an impression Vlad knew was grossly inappropriate for the man's scientific prowess.

"Excuse me," the man said politely. "I was told that Mr Gestard wished to see in room C3. I... oh. Mr. Masters, I apologize! I didn't recognize you in this light. I'm..."

"Dr. Emil Hamilton," Vlad finished for him as he smiled and stood. "Why, no need to apologize, old boy! I doubt such a prominent scientist would care about an amateur such as myself."

"Oh! No, not at all," Hamilton said as he shook Vlad's hand. "Everyone knows about the contributions that your company has made over the years. I heard you've finished construction on that new branch of Axiom Labs here in town?"

"Indeed!" Vlad said with no small amount of pride. "In fact, I'm hoping to win Gestard's little contest and have his urn shipped there ASAP. Why he doesn't just let me take off his hands I don't know, I suppose he has to be sporting about it or some such. If you're in the running, Dr. Hamilton, I may be a little concerned." Vlad laughed even as he weighed the possibility of having to take Emil out of the equation in a permanent manner; it would be a sad task to get rid of such a great mind... especially if it cut into the Green Bay Packers game later; Vlad hated to miss the kickoff.

Emil smiled weakly. "No, I'm afraid I wouldn't have the resources required to even do carbon-dating on the artifact."

That surprised Vlad. Hamilton was, to explain it in a way that young Daniel and his friends would understand, the Michael Jordan of research and development. The only thing the man couldn't figure was how smart he actually was, or Vlad probably would have to destroy him just to keep his stock safe if Emil ever went into trading on Wall Street. "Oh? And why is that, if I may ask?"

"My... my contract with the government was cut short, I'm afraid. I'm, ah, between jobs at the moment. Unemployed, basically."

"Oh, my," Vlad said in mock sympathy. Instead of a threat, Hamilton may actually be an opportunity that Vlad could exploit. "Well, when life throws you lemons... if you're looking an employer I may just know someone looking for someone of your caliber."

Hamilton brightened. "Really? May I ask who?"

Vlad noted that brilliance did not necessarily equate with eloquence. "Me, my good doctor. After all, I need someone to run my labs, don't I? But let us discuss that after Evencio has had his say. For all we know, he could be thinking of hiring you himself. Just remember who made the offer first, hmmm?"

"Of course, Mr. Masters," Hamilton said quickly. "Though I would think that he would have said so when he contacted me... which, uh, did seem a bit odd since it was a personal invite. I would have thought that his office would have done so, but Gestard himself sent a video email inviting me, he even paid for my plane ticket and hotel room!"

That seemed unusual to Vlad as well. "Well, Evencio always does like a hands-on approach and you are doing him a favor by coming out here. I just wonder if there's anyone else coming to this little gathering..."

A loud series of thuds rocked the thick doors to the conference room, causing Hamilton to jump in fright and Vlad's eyes to flash red as his spectral side rose to a possible attack. It took both scientists a minute to recognize the noises as the knocking of a very large fist; Vlad's eyes returned to their normal icy blue as Hamilton turned to look at him for guidance. Vlad shrugged and said, "It's open."

Both Emil and Vlad had seen numerous oddities over the years as researchers and thus reacted with only mild curiosity when the person entered the room. What they (and anybody else would have) noticed first was the blue fur on the face and arms of the creature as it walked forward on its knuckles like an ape. It was no animal, though, as it wore a white lab coat with a sweater and tan slacks as well as rather large shoes to accommodate its equally large feet; the whole ensemble inexplicably reminded Vlad of a high school science teacher.

While its face was as bestial as its body, the intelligence in its blue (of course) eyes and the friendly smile it wore were definitely human. "Sorry about that," the beast said in a surprisingly light voice. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength. Hank McCoy," he introduced himself as and held out a massive hand. "Dr. McCoy, I suppose, though that always sounds a little pretentious to me."

Emil shook his hand, or more precisely gripped Hank's index finger and was himself shaken by Hank's powerful muscles. "Em-m-m-mil Ham-m-m-m-milton." Vlad shook his hand next, noting the incredible power in the man's grip; he could have torn Vlad's arm clean off if he chose to.

"And Vlad Masters," Hank said. "Or do you still go by 'V-Man'? Jack always called you that, if I remember correctly."

Vlad blinked in confusion, then realized that he had met Hank McCoy at a science exposition not unlike Gestard's years ago in college. Back then the strangest thing about McCoy had been that he was both a brilliant student and a star athlete, but still a normal brown-haired young man. It wasn't until years later that the X-Gene in his DNA had activated and turned him into what he was now. "I dropped that nickname years ago, Hank, just Vlad will do. I take Gestard extended an invitation to you as well?"

"You're right, of course," Hank said as he glanced around the room. "Though he didn't say why. Perhaps he told you two?" Both men shook their hands. "Ah, I see. Quite the mystery man, our host."

"To put it mildly," Vlad said dryly. Though X-Ray vision was not among his ghostly talents, Vlad swore he could see the Urn of Belak sitting on the stage several floors below. If the urn was what Vlad thought it was, then it's power could make all of his dreams come true... and Gestard was offering it up as a floor prize! Worse, _Jack Fenton_ was in the running and the fool's luck that was especially powerful with that fool could not be trusted not to work. Maddie married him, after all; something was looking out for the idiot.

Vlad had missed the orientation and thankfully avoided dealing with Jack, while also missing the chance to gaze at Maddie. _Sigh_... still, distractions could not be tolerated if he was to secure the urn by tomorrow night. It would be somewhat disrespectful to steal from a colleague, but Vlad could live with the shame, What he _couldn't_ live with was the image of Jack Fenton hoisting the artifact like it was the Stanley Cup, Maddie gazing adoringly at him while he gave Vlad a mocking thumbs-up. "_Vladdie_!" he'd say. "_I owe it all to you, V-Man_!"

Oh, _hell_ no. The urn was Vlad's or it was no one's. Not Gestard's, not McCoy's, not Hamilton's and especially not Jack Fenton's!

"Vlad?" McCoy's voice broke through Masters' thoughts and brought him back to the present. "Sorry, we were just wondering if you had any insight into Gestard wants. Do you think it has something to do with the urn they unveiled today?"

"Perhaps we're judges?" Hamilton suggested. "Maybe Gestard wants us to decide who gets the urn?"

Vlad shook his head. "Unlikely. Gestard prefers to use his own judgment in these matters, and then there's the fact that my company is in the running. I'm hardly impartial." _And how_. "I'm afraid I'm in the dark as much as you two..."

Vlad caught himself as he looked at the other men. "Hmmm... you, Emil, are a polymath with as nearly as many degrees as either Reed Richards or Benton Quest. Hank, you yourself are at the forefront of modern biochemistry, not to mention theoretical evolution... quite literally, in that area. I, well, my expertise is not as extensive, but I do have nearly the resources that Gestard himself does. Taken all that into consideration, the most logical hypothesis would be that Evencio has a proposal for a project in store for us."

"Quite right, Vladimir. Quite right."

Vlad and the two scientists whirled to glance at the door. Evencio Gestard stood with his hand on his cane smiling at them pleasantly; Vlad had long sincethought that Gestard had the creepiest smile that he'd ever seen, yet was unable to pin down exactly why the facial expression had that effect. "Evencio," Vlad said as he smiled back. "We didn't hear you come in!"

"I know," Gestard said simply. The secretive billionaire walked toward them, his mild limp barely perceptible. "Thank you all for coming here on such short notice. I tried to schedule our meeting to coincide with the exposition, but I must confess that I wanted to fly you all to my estate weeks ago when I first thought of my grand design. Please, be seated. Refreshments will be brought shortly and then we can get to business." Evencio held out his hand to Vlad and they shook. "Vladimir, you're looking well. How are things going with your new lab?"

"Quite well!" Vlad said. "Ironing out the bugs, of course. Perhaps I'll give you a tour some time?"

"I would enjoy that. In fact, your acquisition of Axiom Labs was one of the reasons I wanted to include you in this. Ah, here comes the treats."

A cart wheeled itself through the open doors and stopped in front of Gestard; Vlad noted that it was yet another Gestard Industries Domestic Automaton, the new series of robots that were posed to become the first fully automated home appliances. On the cart pastries and a coffee pot sat next to plates and cups made of the finest china. Vlad and Emil accepted a cup of coffee while Hank declined any refreshment. Once they were seated at the conference table with Evencio at the head, the meeting began in earnest.

Gestard rested his hands on his cane and gazed levelly at the gathered scientists. "Gentlemen, I'm here to propose a new project that will have ramifications that will be felt around the world. I asked each of you to be here for the very reasons that Vladimir just mentioned, so I'll cut straight to the chase..." The monitor on the wall flicked on and Gestard beganhis pitch.

**An hour later...**

Vlad, Emil, and Hank all stared slack-jawed at Gestard as he concluded his outline for the project. "Well? Any questions?"

The gathered scientists just continued to stare at him. Finally, Vlad managed to stammer, "Well, Evencio, it's quite a daring venture. Very... very imaginative. I assume that all of the legal standards have been met?"

Gestard smiled again; Vlad felt his skin crawl away from his friend. "I assure you, everything is perfectly within the bounds of the law. In fact, many officials I've spoken to are enthusiastic about the project. All I need are a chief technician, financial backing from another party to satisfy my lawyers and someone to monitor the biological components. Now that you have the specifics, I would like to hear your answers."

"So soon?" Emil asked. "It's a lot to take in, Mr. Gestard..."

"It is," Hank said with a grimace. "The ethical considerations alone should take years to muddle through."

Gestard fixed the mutant with a penetrating look; Vlad had to give McCoy credit as he stared right back. "Is that a hint of distaste I detect in your voice, Dr. McCoy?"

"More than a _hint_," Hank said. "As impressive as this project is, the possible dangers of undertaking it are so great-not to mention increased exponentially by placing it so close to one of the most densely populated areas in the world-that it makes me wonder if any of these officials you're gushing about are not exponentially _richer_ than before."

Gestard looked amused, in an annoyed sort of way. "Are you suggesting that I resorted to bribery, Dr. McCoy? I assure you, those same officials consulted heavily with scientific advisers before they approved my project."

"Then those advisers should be fired. Gentlemen," Hank said to Vlad and Hamilton. "Please help Mr. Gestard to understand just why this should never be done. Mr. Masters, you have a background in ecto-plasmic chemistry; surely you see the danger outweighs the benefits."

Vlad did indeed see that, but... "I understand your concerns, Hank, really. But there always risks involved in progress. I'm sorry, but my support goes to Gestard. I do have my business and employees to think about, after all; Masters Co. would benefit from this partnership." Vlad turned to Gestard. "I'm in, Evencio. Consider the checks already in the mail."

Hank's eyes widened in dismay, then he turned to Emil. "Dr. Hamilton? What are your thoughts on this?"

Emil was silent for several long seconds, then said, "This could be the solution to the problems of the modern age: pollution, toxic waste, global warming... all eliminated in one shot. To be a part of something so ground-breaking and important... how could any scientist say no?"

Vlad smiled thinly as he realized he'd gauged Hamilton correctly; the man's controversial work with the government had tainted his career and he was eager for redemption and, perhaps even more important to his kind, recognition. Maybe not as bad as Jack, but still desperate for "kudos" as the kids said.

Hank Vlad hadn't been sure about, what with his reputation for being so _ethical_ and all. Still, if he was Gestard's first choice the project would go smoother with the man on board, so Vlad decided to offer some bait. "Now, Hank, we all appreciate your... caution, but imagine how this would help your... 'people'. Being one of the architects of a new era would be excellent publicity for that school of Xavier's, to put it mildly."

From the way Hank's eyes narrowed, it was apparent that the bait hadn't been taken or appreciated. "Believe me, Vlad, I am very aware of how my actions reflect the mutant community and participating in this reckless endeavor would not reflect well at all." Hank sighed and removed his reading glasses. "I've said my piece, and seeing as it's obvious that none of you will be dissuaded from taking action, I should take my leave. Thank you for the offer, Mr. Gestard; I'm sorry it didn't turn out the way you had hoped."

"Not at all, Dr. McCoy," Gestard said evenly. "You do understand you are legally bound not to discuss anything you heard in this meeting?"

"Of course, though if you're moving ahead as fast as you say, it won't be long before everyone knows." Hank rose and nodded respectfully at the other men of science. "Gentlemen, good luck to you and may God watch over you. An ironic phrase from someone who is proof of evolution, perhaps, but it's my sincere hope that you succeed without wiping out a major American city. Good day." With that he left through the double doors, taking care not to slam them with his strength and agitated state.

Vlad watched Hank leave, then said, "Well, talk about being a stick in the mud!" in order to lighten the mood. It failed utterly. "_Ahem_... well, Evencio, I hope McCoy's absence won't affect our moving forward?"

"No, Vladimir, it will not. As regretful as Dr. McCoy's reluctance is, he is not irreplaceable. But that's for later; I would first like to thank you two for your decision to aid Gestard Industries in this grand enterprise. As soon as the exposition is concluded, we will begin to finalize the details; construction began months ago and is continuing as we speak. In the meantime, please enjoy the convention while I attend other matters." The billionaire inventor left the room, the pressure exerted by his presence seeming to lift as soon as he was out of sight.

Vlad stood and straightened his suit, then took stock of Hamilton. "Are you alright, Emil? You look a bit shaken. First time in Gestard's ambiance, eh? He's quite the persona."

Emil chuckled dryly. "Yes, he is. And... the enormity of what we're doing has just hit me. It's so _much_... I think this is how NASA felt when they put a man on the moon."

Vlad walked over and slapped Emil lightly on the back. "Emil, old boy, once this is over no one will give two wits about what some jet jockeys did on some lifeless rock decades ago; we'll be the ones children will write essays about a hundred years from now! But I'm surprised you're so awe-struck about all this; after all, you worked side by side with 'super men'."

Emil's face darkened. "I try not to reflect on that, thank you. The mind of an alien being is an inscrutable thing. To be honest, I was somewhat relieved when McCoy decided not to join us; I would rather work with human beings like you from now on, not creatures from other worlds."

Unable to keep a straight face at the irony, Vlad smiled widely as he told Hamilton. "I know exactly what you mean, doctor. I know _exactly_ what you mean..."

* * *

_Brrrrrrr-Zappppp_!

"Cool!" Dani Phantom said as she froze a large rock with her newly honed ice powers-and part of the forest behind it. "No pun intended... hmmm, I was a little off target."

"It's not too bad," Danny assured, remembering his own collateral damage from learning to use his various powers. "Just need to tighten up a little. How are you feeling?"

"Better!" Danny said as she did a mid-air flip. "I'm not freezing anymore. I feel, well, cool! Like I've got air-conditioning on the inside."

After the two halfas had left the _Silver Dragon_ Dani had led her "cousin" to a forest clearing she'd been using since coming to Heatherfield. While Danny was teaching her to control her ice powers Dani explained how she had first went to FentonWorks/Danny's house looking for him and found out about the convention from a flyer tacked on the refrigerator. She had then flown to Heatherfield and was looking for something to eat when she met that strange creature in the dumpster.

It had taken a few hours, but Danny was now certain that Danielle had her freezing powers under control. He had felt kind of proud to be showing her the ropes and wondered if this was the way his dad felt whenever he was teaching Danny to use his inventions... which was a weird thought, since Danny was technically more of a biological parent than a cousin to Danielle. Fifteen years old and already he had a kid about to reach their teens, all because he stepped into that unfinished Fenton Ghost Portal without a flashlight.

"You're a great teacher, Danny," Danielle said as she transformed back and sat down for a breather. "Way better than Vlad, not that that's saying much."

"Thanks! I think." Danny transformed to human as well and sat next to his clone. "But I had a good teacher, too. Is there anything else you're having trouble with?"

"Well..." Dani said reluctantly. "I... I've been having these..." She placed a hand on her abdomen. "Cramps!"

Danny's eyes widened. "Uh, well, uhhhhh... I... uh..."

Danielle stared at Danny for a second, then burst out laughing. "Just kidding! God, you're so gullible!"

Danny mock-glared at her. "Maybe, but I'm also bigger than you." He started tickling Dani's sides, making the younger halfa giggle and squirm. Dani tried to use her intangibility to escape only to find Danny countered her with his own to keep her in his grasp. "Who's gullible now, huh?"

"Hee, hee, you are, ya jerk!" Danny tickle-tortured her for a few more minutes before they both sprawled out on the soft grass and staring up at the blue sky. "Man, it's hot here. Nice place, though. Heatherfield, I mean. Maybe I'll stick around awhile now that my powers aren't trying to perma-frost me."

"It's not bad at all," Danny said, thinking of Will and her friends. "Good people. Good food." Dani grunted in agreement. "But... you're always welcome in Amity Park. I've got a pretty good reputation now, and Valerie would love to see you again."

"I know..." Dani sat up. "I mean, I _really_ know, I do. Youguy are my only friends and I love you both.But... okay, this is going to sound bratty, but I don't want to be another halfa in a city that has one already, y'know? Be kinda hard to tell us apart in conversation, right?"

Danny frowned. "Well, yeah, but... is that why you've been on the move this past year? You're looking for a place of your own?"

"Bingo! I want to do the superhero thing, no doubt, but... how do I put this without ticking you off?"

"You don't want to be a pint-sized sidekick knockoff?" Danny finished for her.

Dani smiled. "There's that clone telepathy again. Not literally, mind you, but close enough. I don't want to sound ungrateful after all you've done for me, but you've got everything taken care of in Amity Park. It's not like I can hang out in your house without your parents noticing. Eventually.Secret identities don't keep themselves, y'know!"

"Well, true," Danny conceded. "But you know, if you ever want to stop by for a hot pocket or to go on patrol with me, the door's always open. Not that we actually need doors, but you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know. Hey, you want to go flying later tonight? I bet I'm faster than you now!"

"Only because you're shorter-less wind resistance." Dani punched him in the arm for the slur. "Sorry, but I'm visiting some people in town later, maybe after that..." Danny checked his Fenton Wristwatch. "Crap! It's only an hour until we're going. I gotta jet, Dani, but we'll meet here about ten, okay?"

"Sure, but that's a little close to my bed time," Dani said with a straight face, then she chuckled. "Ah, who am I kidding? See ya then, cuz."

"See ya!" Danny shouted as he transformed and shot into the sky, Fenton Recorder and T.A.F.F. in his arms.

Dani watched until he was out of sight, then turned to the rapidly melting rock. "Now for some more practice..." She raised her hand and imagined a large ice shard shooting from her palm into the rock. She said, "Yes!" when the projectile shot from her hand, but her jubilation quickly died when the shard ricocheted off the rock, then a tree before flying back at her.

With a shriek she turned intangible just before the tip hit her and the shard stuck in the soft ground; Dani shifted back and let out a breath of relief. "Okay... let's hold off on that for a while..."

* * *

Author's Note: After doing so much teen-speak and elderly reminiscing, it was good (if challenging) to have scientists and billionaires conversing (since I'm neither.) Gasp! An Author's Note that's actually relevant to the story! What are the odds!

Speaking of relevant, this is a seriously short chapter, isn't it? Hopefully all the remaining chapters will be this size, but the ones with the fights will be longer.

Episode References: Emil Hamilton is from the Bruce Timm _Superman _series and _Justice League Unlimited_. Benton Quest is from the Jonny Quest series and Reed Richards is the leader of the Fantastic Four. The Hank McCoy in this story is the one from X-Men: Evolution.

Danny was taught to use his freezing powers by a ghost called Frostbite-and he was way worse than Dani. Valerie Gray is a ghost hunter who dated Danny for a while and is a friend to Dani, even though she still gives Danny Phantom a hard time.


	8. On Best and Worst Behavior

Disclaimer: With the exception of creepy ole Gestard, none of these characters are mine. Man, that guy is creepy. And he came from _my_ mind. Creeeeeepy...

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter has taken so long, but I'm now collegiate again and taking an online class _and_ still working full-time _and _still a lazy-bum to boot.

It would really be great if you guys would visit my Never Too Young forum in the cartoon crossover category. It's called Never Say Never and you can ask questions or start your own topics if you want. Come on by, and post!

* * *

Chapter Eight: On Best and Worst Behavior

* * *

"The tide is turning! They're in full retreat! Press on, everyone!" Hay Lin shouted to everyone in the kitchen. A ragged cheer went up from the _Silver Dragon_'s helpers as the evening wore on and the crowds began to thin out. "Thanks for your help, guys. I wish we had you around all the time."

"No problem," Gwen said as she waved her hand in the air; several feet away in a sink a rag was cleaning a plate apparently by itself. "Compared to cleaning up after Ben, this was a piece of cake."

"I clean!" Ben said indignantly. "When it needs it."

"Cleanliness is next to godliness, they say," Spud stated. "But what if you're the god of dirt? Would you still be godly? Or just dirty? Hmmmm..."

"This philosophical bent you're on better wear itself out soon, Spudinski," Trixie muttered as she chopped up vegetables. "And I'm hopin' that's before I'm done with this knife."

Yan Lin and the other grandparents entered the kitchen just in time to save Spud from himself; unfortunately, it seemed like no one could save Monroe from Yan's grasp. Fu Dog hid a chuckle behind his paw while Monroe gave him the nastiest look he could muster. Yan didn't seem to notice as she appraised the kids' work. "Good work, everyone! Now you'd best get ready to go to Will's place, it's almost time."

"Ohmigosh!" Gwen said as she peered at her reflection in a stainless steel cabinet. "My hair is a mess! Give me a minute!"

Ben snorted. "Your hair looks the same as it always does. What is it with girls and hair?"

Gwen fixed him with a sly look. "You're right, Ben, girls do worry about hair-_especially in guys they might like_."

Ben, never one to pick up subtext quickly, took a minute before he realized Gwen's meaning and joined her at the impromptu mirror, trying valiantly to brush his formidable cowlicks down with his fingers. "What?!" he retorted to Gwen's knowing look. "It's just a little out of place, that's all."

June popped her back, then her neck and finally her knuckles as she worked out the kinks from carrying all the food; the budding musician almost sounded like she could carry a tune with her skeletal system alone. "Let me grab my guitar and amp first, guys. Won't take too long." June wanted to get to Will's as soon as possible, especially before the Fentons.

"Let me go get Caleb," Hay Lin said, kissing her grandmother on the cheek as she ran for the stairs to the basement. Hopping down the steps far more lightly than a non-Air Guardian could have, she forgot that Caleb was supposed to be sleeping until she cleared the final step.

She wouldn't have woken him up anyway, since the young warrior was already up and pacing the floor, staring ahead as he walked the basement floor with arms clasped behind his back. He only looked up when Hay Lin called his name. "Caleb? Everything okay?"

"Hmmm? Sure," he said, more like a reluctant confirmation than a statement. In the relative darkness of the basement and with the bags under them it looked like his eyes had nearly disappeared from his face.

Hay Lin was now really worried about the older boy who was like a member of her family. Caleb had always had such a strong and dynamic personality like one of those Hollywood heroes in movies, Will Smith/Tom Cruise combined, but these days he looked just awful. "Uh, we were just about to head to Will's... you know, if you're still feeling tired, you don't have to go."

Caleb stared at her for a second, then shrugged wearily. "Yeah... yeah, I'll just stay here. Thanks. Sorry."

"It's okay." Hay Lin paused for a second, then ran over to Caleb and embraced him around the torso. "I don't know what's wrong, but I hope you feel better soon."

Caleb was startled by the physical contact, but managed to pull himself together and return the hug. "I'll try... don't worry, alright? Just have some fun." Hay Lin pulled away and smiled up at him, then ran back up the stars.

Caleb watched her leave, then turned back to his small bed and fell heavily upon it. He would try to sleep for Hay Lin's sake, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to rest. Sleep was when the dreams came and that was reason enough to avoid it as long as he could.

If he never had to sleep again, that would be fine by him.

* * *

"Whoo-wee!" Yan Lin said as she spun Monroe around in a circle. "We are going to get down tonight like we haven't since the eighties! You ready for clubbing, Maxie?"

Max scratched his head. "Well, I..."

"Of course you are!" Yan finished for him. "While you kids are at Will's your grandparents are going to paint the town blue!"

"That's 'red', Grandma," Hay Lin corrected. "Please don't get into trouble again, please?"

Yan tucked Monroe under one arm and waved her free hand dismissively. "Don't worry, sweetie, Grandma learned her lesson: not everybody wants to party at three in the morning. I still laugh when I think of the look on Thomas' face when he saw me in my old clubbing outfit."

"The one with the mini... skirt?" Max asked with a blush. "Wait... Thomas? Thomas _Lair_?" Yan Lin nodded. "So Irma was... well, I'll be..."

"You know Mr. Lair?" Hay Lin asked. "Wait! Don't tell me! He pulled you over when you were visiting Grandma?"

"Uhm... it's a little more involved than that..." Max looked unusually relieved when June re-entered the room with her guitar and amplifier slung over her small shoulders; it reminded the retired Plumber of the times Jasmine carried things equal or greater to her body weight and smirking at him and Lao while she was doing it. "_Big strong men need little flower carry heavy things_?" she'd mocked in an exaggerated version of her accent. It was easy to be humble around strong women like Jasmine and Yan and Max hadn't realized how much he'd missed them. Especially Yan.

"Be on your best behavior," Jasmine said to June and Ray Ray-more to Ray Ray, actually. "Susan seems like a nice young lady and I don't want you to give her any trouble." The Lee kids promised they wouldn't.

"Remember, young dragon," Lao Shi said to his grandson, "the moth flies gracefully through the china shop, while the peacock's displays of arrogance only break the dishes." Jake looked at his dragon master with a confused expression. "_Sigh_... don't show off and destroy things, okay?"

"That would be good advice for you all," Yan said to the kids as she set Monroe down. "Each of you has to keep your gifts a secret in your own surroundings, but now that you are together you must be especially cautious. Try to keep things on the low-down, okay?"

Before Hay Lin could correct her again Ben laughed and said, "I'm all about keeping it low-key, Mrs. Linnnnnn!" Ben tripped over an untied shoe lace and fell, pushing the Omnitrix's activation button on a cabinet and slamming its face down when he hit the floor. One flash of green light later a human-sized dragon-fly-esque insect was lying on it's back and staring at the others with its four eye-stalks. "Hee hee..." the genetic variation of Ben Tennyson known as Stinkfly chuckled in a gurgling voice. "I meant to do that..."

"Ladies and gentlemen," Gwen said with the weariness of someone much older, "Welcome to my life."

* * *

Somewhere in orbit over the American Midwest the cylinder that was the LAT spun slowly and recharged its energy cells. It had stirred in it's rest as the Omnitrix's signal reaching its sensors, Ben's innocent display in the _Dragon_'s basement allowing it to hone in on Heatherfield's coordinates and adjust its micro-thrusters for a more precise landing. Now another signal had been received in the same location, but no adjustments of trajectory were required.

As it's power systems recharged its mind was racing as it ran scenarios-"dreams" in a sense-as it plotted strategy using the known data of Ben's alien forms and their powers. Sometimes it lost these scenarios and these were discarded, while other times it won and these were kept to cross-analyze against other victorious simulations. The first of these drones Ben had defeated used rudimentary tactics and had no specific programming for fighting the Omnitrix's host of creatures, a fact that Vilgax had corrected in the later units.

It was "dreaming" of victory, and it was getting closer to the reality every second.

* * *

"Are we sure that's it?" Lex said to his subordinates. The H.A.M. members nodded their helmeted heads. "We're only getting one shot at this, so no mistakes. Alright, here we go..." Lex rolled down the minivan's window and stuck his bald head out, the gleam of the burning sun on his skull prompting the H.A.M.s in the mini behind him to crack a Mr. Clean joke. "Hello?"

The speaker crackled and said, "_Welcome to Nasty Burger, where 'Nasty' is one letter away from 'tasty'. May I take your order?_"

Lex considered his next move carefully. "Do you have a dollar menu?" It was a pain to be broke. Damn that Juniper Lee... and her little dog, too!

* * *

"This is not dignified! We're the last of the Huntsclan and we be riding with livestock like we... we_ livestock_!"

"Just be glad that this farmer gave us a lift," 89 said to 88 as he propped his Huntstaff in the corner of the truck. Composed of a green handle taller than the boys with two multi-bladed heads on each end, the Huntsclan's signature weapons were also capable of firing green energy blasts from the blades, a testament to the late organization's fervent belief in overkill.

Like most of their other abilities the two apprentice dragon slayers' aptitude with the staffs were questionable, but at the very least they were skilled enough to not injure themselves with the weapons. "Just remember the story: we're Boy Scouts with new uniforms that got lost from our troop."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it. Dang! What have these pigs been eating, dirty diapers? Ya'll stink!" The pig ignored the boy, clearly too important to respond to the Huntsboy's complaint. "Wilbur here is giving me attitude; you want some barbecued pork? 'Cuz I'm in a grilling mood!"

"We're here for weapons, not the other white meat. And I don't think the farmer would appreciate that... just chill, okay? Everything's going according to plan... well, except for the crashing part, but we're Huntsclan," 89 said as he held up his hand to show his comrade the dragon-shaped birthmark that all Huntsclan members were born with. With their masters gone and their fellow apprentices permanently AWOL in search of the families they had been taken from, 88 and 89 were the only ones left to nobly carry on the proud tradition of the Hunt-that-that, and they figured being the only two members of the Huntsclan left gave them instant prestige.

Their limited success so far was discouraging, but they blamed their misfortunes on the intervention of the American Dragon and his allies, which was partly true. "Surely we can handle some science geeks and rent-a-cops."

"Yeah, baby! 'Specially with our heavy weaponry!" 88 slapped the metallic backpack he was wearing, which was identical to the one wore by 89. His hand hit a button and caused mechanisms within the Huntsclan device to activate; a beam weapon attached to a snake-like cable shot out and fired on the "WELCOME TO HEATHERFIELD!" sign that the truck passed by, disintegrating it to fine ash with a loud _POP_.

The Huntsboys looked at each other with wide eyes, then began to whistle innocently as the truck drove into Heatherfield's city limits

* * *

"Hey, sweetie! How did the gear work?" Maddie asked as her son entered the Fenton Insta-Booth.

"Great!" Danny said as he erased the scenes of the sorority girls and the large sun-bather from the Fenton Recorder. "Especially the T.A.F.F."

"My little tester," Maddie said proudly, patting Danny on the head like a three-year-old. "You were always trying things out, like my lipstick and shoes..."

"Mom!"

"Don't we have pictures of that?" Maddie asked her husband.

"I deny everything," Danny quickly said to Sam and Tucker. "It's all a horrible, horrible lie. A _Photo-shopped_ lie."

"Sure it is," Sam said reassuringly. When Danny turned away, she whispered to Tucker, "We are _so_ finding those pictures later and black-mailing him with them." Tucker grinned and winked at her; part of being best friends with a superhero was keeping said hero from getting too full of himself. It was a duty Sam and Tuck took particular relish in performing.

"Let's leave now," Maddie said. "We need to pick up the drinks and ice on the way." As Danny walked past her she noticed the grass and leaves stuck to his back and starting brushing them off with her hand.

"I can get it, Mom," Danny said wearily, then yelped when Maddie moved on to dusting off the seat of his pants. "Mom! _I got it_..."

"Sorry, sweetie," Maddie said breezily, not sounding sorry in the least. "Does anyone have a brush? Honestly, Danny, did you roll around on the ground? There's a stick in your hair."

Danny quickly ran his hands through his hair and found the stick. "There, I got it. Can we go now? I'd hate to be the reason we're late," he added; if there was one thing that Maddie Fenton hated more than messy hair, it was being late. The Fentons exited their booth and Jack punched a few buttons on a keypad set in the inflatable structure. Green ecto-energy beams appeared in the doorway and effectively blocked access to the booth.

"It's one of our Fenton Genetic Locks," Jack explained to the kids. "Nobody can access it but us Fentons. And Sam and Tucker, of course. Tried to figure out how to put a door into the Insta-Booth, but the darn thing kept popping out when I retracted it-nearly took my head off."

Danny nodded to himself. "I wondered what that door-shaped dent in the lab wall was." He turned to Sam and Tucker when the others were out of hearing range. "Guess who I ran into while I was flying? The other Phantom."

"Dani?" Sam asked. "What's she doing here?"

"Looking for me. Apparently she's got her ice powers now..."

"_Mazel tov_!" Sam said with a laugh. "Should we throw her a bat mitzvah?"

"Well, she's my clone so I don't think she's Jewish, unless you want to convert her." Danny remembered Sam's bat mitzvah very well; it had looked more like a Halloween party than a coming-of-age ceremony. "Anyway, her ice powers were giving her some problems, but I gave her some pointers."

"Look at you," Sam poked him in the chest. "The big mentor."

Danny shrugged. "I do what I can. What happened with you guys?"

"I picked up a few things at the mall," Sam said, holding up a bag full of what could be considered torture implements instead of clothing and accessories. "Can you believe spiked collars were three for a dollar? It's like Goth Christmas!"

"They're very... pointy," Danny observed. " Good deal."

"Thanks, your mom was real cool about shopping at Hot Topic. Wait til you see what I picked out for her!"

"I can hardly wait... Tucker, what are you looking at?" The techno-geek was staring intently at his PDA. When Danny snuck a look at the screen, he realized why Tucker looked so happy. "I see you found Negi's students' booth."

Tucker grinned wider and tapped his stylus against the screen; numerous pictures slid across the screen showing Tucker in various poses with Lingshen and Hakase, usually with their arms around him. "Forget cheerleaders; I should have been chasing hot nerd girls!" The last picture was one of Asuna running toward the PDA's camera with an irritated expression. "Got that one over my shoulder as I was, ah, leaving. She's a little uptight, huh?"

The Fentons headed for their Ghost Assault Vehicle in the parking lot, debating on which drinks to get and totally oblivious to the limo parked at the far end of the lot.

Enoch noted the Fentons as he stared at them through a pair of binoculars, recognizing Jack and Maddie from the files the Forever Knights kept on inventors and the like; though not derived from the alien technology that the secret order preferred to use, FentonWorks was noted for its innovations in the field of ectoplasmic applications and weaponry despite being a literal "Mom and Pop" outfit.

The Knights would have already abducted the family and forced them to work for the organization had that teenaged superhero Danny Phantom not been so active near the Fentons. Enoch was learning that age was not as large a barrier as he had previously believed, largely educated by the Tennysons and especially the Omnitrix-bearing Benjamin, who was proving even more of an irritant than his grandfather had been.

Enoch's superior and leader of the Knights known only as the Forever King was not happy with his performance as of late and Enoch's last chance would be securing the Urn of Belak for the organization. The alternative... was not preferable.

Enoch adjusted the binocular from visible light to an entirely different part of the electromagnetic spectrum, peering into the convention center with the X-Ray vision that Vlad had so desperately wanted and saw the urn sitting on the stage where Gestard had left it. To the naked eye it was completely unguarded, yet the binoculars told a different story of microwave barriers linked to laser grids that would fry a human like a hotdog in a kitchen appliance and security robots hidden in the curtains, ready to be deployed for some thief's final performance.

Not unexpected; Gestard was no fool, but neither was Enoch. Security would be lessened after the convention was open to the public and that was when they would strike. And once the power of the urn was controlled by the Forever Knights, even the Tennysons would be washed away in the tide of their wrath.

* * *

"Will!" Susan called to her daughter. "Are you ready? I'm setting the table."

"Urrgh!" Will grunted as she pushed the rest of her things into her closet. Her room was cleaner than it had been in months, but her friends had left a fair amount of stuff during their visits; most of it was non-vital, though Will wondered how long Irma's math textbook had been under her bed.

"GET IN... THERRRRREEEEE!" The door closed. "Huh! That'll show you! No closet gets the best of Will Vandom!" The Keeper turned and started to leave the room... only to be buried under old clothes when her closet exploded from the pressures within.

"Pah!" Will spat out a fuzzy sock that she couldn't recall ever wearing. "Grrrrrr! I can save the universe and fight monsters, but my room always gets the best of me." Extracting herself from the mound of debris, Will pushed half of the pile under her bed and put the other half in the closet. "I don't think any one will look in there, except Mom. When did I start talking to myself so much, anyway?"

Will shook her head and slipped a hand into her shirt to pull out the Heart of Candracar. She stared into the pink crystal to see if it was disturbed again, but the talisman seemed to behaving normally-as normally as magical necklaces usually acted in Will's singular experience with the type. Despite her supposed connection to the jewel Will had no idea what was going on in its "head," so to speak; sometimes she felt the same way about her mother.

Will deposited the Heart back under her shirt and walked into the kitchen. Her mother was laying out plates and silverware and eyeing her kitchen critically. "I think it looks okay. I really wish I'd shampooed the carpet..."

"Mom," Will said in a serious voice, "_Relax_. It's not some fancy dinner party, it's just our friends. You worry so much, you'll give yourself wrinkles." Susan's eyes widened and she headed for the nearest mirror. "Oh, Mom! I'm kidding!"

"Sorry, sweetie. It's just that Dean is coming over later..." Will rolled her eyes; it figured that her mother would preen herself for her boyfriend/Will's history teacher. Will doubted that Dean Collins would care one whit if Susan had one wrinkle or thirty, he was that smitten with her.

Will had few happy memories of the time her parents were together and wondered if they had ever made moony eyes at each other like Susan and Dean frequently did. The general consensus among her girlfriends was that wedding bells were in the future; Will wasn't sure what she thought about that. While she liked Dean as much as anyone could like a history teacher and a mother's boyfriend, did she really want him living with them?

What kind of Christmas presents would a teacher give, anyway? A year's worth of pop quizzes? Protractors? Extra credit would be nice, but unlikely.

Will grimaced and tried to focus on the here and now. If the Heart was acting up she and the other Guardians would have plenty to worry about without factoring in her mother's love-life. She hoped it wouldn't put Danny or the students in danger, even if the Fentons were used to dealing with unusual situations and June was, well, a freaking army in the form of a young girl. _God, _I'll_ have the wrinkles before Mom does because of Guardian work. At least they look good on Mrs. Lin... Grandma Wilma? Granny Will? _

Will smiled at the mental image of her older self giving the Heart to the next Keeper and acting wise and all-knowing-probably acting for real, she thought. Have to have her own kids first to be a grandmother, of course, though it would be a good idea to keep thoughts like that from Matt so as to not freak him out.

Matt... who was going to be here in minutes! Will hopped over next to Susan and started straightening her own hair. Susan looked confused before she concluded, "Oh, Matt's coming over, isn't he? Look at us; we used to be strong, independent women. Now we're dressing ourselves up for our men."

"I'm so not dressing up!" Will retorted. Even though she was, but it was weird to think that she and her mom were dating at the same time; statistically, it happened all the time with single parents and their kids, but Will refrained from thinking about percentages and math in general as much as she could. "Besides, it's not like I'm the one that needs dressing up... yah!"

Susan had ruffled her daughter's straightened hair until it was sticking out like a red pom-pom "Where did that sarcasm of yours come from? Certainly not from me."

"Yeah, right!"Will growled and stuck her hands in her own mother's hair and returned the favor. Susan yelped in horror as her carefully-brushed hairdo dissolved into the very definition of "bad hair day." "Hey, look! It's Weird Al Yankovic! Can I have your autograph?" Will laughed at her comparison.

Susan narrowed her eyes. "I'll make you laugh..." She bear-hugged Will and began tickling her sides. Will tried to fight back through the laughter even as she tried to keep from shocking her mother with her electricity-based powers.

"Wahahahahahahhhhaaaaaaa, huh!" Will said, meaning to chastise her mother for her lack of maturity but was unable to form a word. Just when Will couldn't take it anymore, there was a knock on the door and a soft male voice, said, "Hello? Is everything alright in there, Susan?"

"Dean!" Susan let go and tried to wrangle her hair back into place. "Just a minute!"

Seeing a chance for revenge-and not caring whether her teacher saw her messy hair or not-Will cheerfully said, "I'll get it!" and ran for the door before Susan could stop her. Throwing it open she smiled at the blond-haired man on the other side. "Hey there, Teach! Come on in!"

Dean blinked at Will's bed-raggled appearance, then at his girlfriend's horrified expression and equally messy hair; she looked adorable, he thought, though it was likely that Susan wasn't sharing his opinion at the moment. "Susan, I..."

With a blurted, "Give me a minute!" Susan ran into her bedroom to try and salvage herself. Dean scratched his bushy moustache before looking at Will and asking, "What happened here?"

Will shrugged. "Mother-daughter stuff, y'know. The usual."

* * *

Hay Lin always liked the fact that the shortest route to Will's apartment went through a small park in the middle of Heatherfield. It was so pretty with its shimmering ponds and flower gardens, she thought, and the long winding paths were great for walking-and skateboarding, if Jake and his friends were any indication. The twisting paths that had always reminded Hay Lin of spaghetti strands were giving the three New Yorkers a veritable playground to skate on.

"Yeah!" Jake shouted as he soared over a park bench on his board, landing perfectly on the concrete path and doing a kick-flip that spun his skateboard under his feet before it came to rest on its wheels again. "Likin' this route, Hay!" he said as he circled toward the main group of Hay Lin, June, Gwen and the two magical dogs; Monroe was being "walked" by June and Gwen was holding the leash on Fu Dog for Jake, feeling very weird about having the restraint on something that could talk to her. She'd wanted to leash _Ben_ a few times, but only for his own good and not for the twisted enjoyment it would bring him to yank as hard as she could.

"You're welcome," Hay Lin replied. "But wow, you've gotten good! When we were little I remember you kept falling off those things. Ooh, sorry, I mean..."

"Naw, it's true, I had a rough start. But fall down eight times, ya gotta get up nine, right? Oh, mannnnnn, I sound like Gramps!" Everyone chuckled at that.

"I wish my grandpa had lots of wise sayings and stuff," Spud lamented as he rolled past. "But all he told me was how to maintain dentures and which adult diapers were the best..."

"TMI, Spudinski!" Trixie said as she appeared alongside him and clasped a hand over his mouth. "_Way_ TMI, boy!"

"So how ya been, Monroe?" Fu Dog asked. "Last time I saw you, we were running from that marsh witch in Louisiana."

"Aye," Monroe replied sharply. "I recall that. I also recall you saying, 'Eat the little guy, I'm all fat!'"

"Ah, ha, ha... just trying to look out for the lady's health, of course! It's the skin folds, they're just loaded with fatty acids. Sooooooo... you seeing any ladies these days?"

"You fool! I'm training a baby Te Xuan Ze, aye have no time for lolly-gagging with women!" June muttered, "_Baby_?" and yanked on his leash.

"Oh, come on, 'dog'!" Fu said with smirk. "You know the ladies go for the grouchy anal types like you! Reminds them of their crotchety old grandpas!"

"If there weren't young ladies present," Monroe said with a growl. "I'd _spay_ you with my bare teeth!"

"Whoa ho, easy there, McDuff, you're not my type! A-goo-goo!"

"Today I heard a dog talk and argue with another dog for the first time," Gwen said to the other girls. "Wonders never cease."

"I'm loving this," June admitted. "I've seen anyone get under Monroe's skin like that except for his dad and, well, _me_." She held her hand over her eyes to block out the sun as she scanned the sky. "Does anyone see Ray Ray and Ben? It's a good thing this park is so deserted-guess it's the heat-but something that big flying around might attract attention."

"Don't see them," Hay Lin admitted. "Hold on a second..." The Air Guardian cupped her hand to her ear and listened to slight breeze, her powers allowing her to manipulate the wind so that sounds too far away or too low for normal humans to hear were as clear as if she had a surround sound system following her. The park was mostly deserted so that made it easier to locate the beating of large insect wings and the holler of a young boy. "They're over there and coming towards us-fast!"

A large shape burst out of the trees and buzzed the kids; for the battle-tested youths it took a conscious effort not to drop into defensive positions. They relaxed when Ray Ray's shouts of joy were heard over the buzz of Stinkfly's wings. "WOO HOO!" Ben's accidental transformation had quickly been turned into an opportunity for a joy-ride; the last the others had seen of Ben and Ray Ray was when the two had taken off from the alley behind the _Silver Dragon_ for the wild blue yonder

One of Stinkfly's eye-stalks fired a glob of green goop at Gwen's feet, causing Ben's cousin to yelp and leap back. "Knock it off, Ben!" she yelled at the laughing insectoid. "Don't make me hurt you in front of the girls!"

"Have to catch me first!" Stinkfly gurgled tauntingly. Ray Ray said something the others heard as "Get June next!"

"Would _not_ recommend that!" June called out in warning.

Gwen checked her watch and looked up at Stinkfly. "Ben, it's been almost ten minutes since you changed, you might want to..." The tones of the Omnitrix's deactivation signal reached their ears just before Stinkfly disappeared in a flash of red light. "...land."

Both boys were thirty feet up when the Omnitrix timed out; Ray Ray was blinking away the glare of the red light when he realized he was straddling Ben Tennyson's back. An awkward position for sure, but the prospect of dropping three stories took their minds off of the potential embarrassment. Ben was still too disoriented from the transformation to do anything useful, but Ray Ray had the presence of mind to say the word that always saved him when he got in over his head: "Juuuunnnneee!"

Hay Lin threw her hands up to create a powerful updraft the slowed the boys' descent as Gwen and June raced to intercept their relations. The Te Xuan Ze leapt upward to catch Ray Ray as Gwen's fired a blue sphere of energy at Ben out of her hand; June snatched her younger brother out of the air with a "Gotcha!" as the sphere of magic engulfed Ben and bounced when it hit the ground.

"Whoa-ho-ho!" Ben said as his globe of energy rolled to a stop at Gwen's feet. "That was cool! Let's do it again!"

"Let's not," Gwen said as she popped the sphere with a fingernail, causing Ben to tumble out onto the ground. "Our family trees would be missing a few branches if we weren't around, eh, June?"

"And how," June said as she held Ray Ray up by the ankle, just because she could. Ray Ray crossed his arms and glared at her until she set him upright. To add further insult to injury, she patted him affectionately on the head. Ray Ray _hated_ that.

Hay Lin yawned and stretched her arms. "Oh, man, I think I'm too tired to party... eeeek!" The Air Guardian shrieked in surprise when someone yanked her purse from her arm; it was another skate-boarder that had crept up on the group and Hay Lin recognized him all too well. "Uriah! Give it back!"

The pimply-faced teen laughed and waved the purse at Hay Lin mockingly. "Come and get it if you want it!" Two more skaters-Uriah's large henchmen and Hay Lin's classmates Clubber and Kurt -blew past the girls, laughing at their boss' snatch-and-grab. The three trouble-makers of the Guardians' school began to skate away from the kids, crowing loudly about their "victory."

June and Gwen both wanted to retrieve Hay Lin's purse-and were fully capable of taking out Uriah's group in seconds-but worried about doing anything to reveal their supernatural natures. Hay Lin wanted to blow Uriah and crew away with a gust of wind and could have done so without arousing too much suspicion, but her sweet nature prevented her from doing so.

All was not lost, however, as Jake said to his friends, "After em, ya'll!" as he, Trixie and Spud took after the thieves using only their boarding skills and physical prowess. Within seconds they had caught up with the bad boys and each was skating alongside one of the Dunnsters.

Jake tapped Uriah on the shoulder and the delinquent looked shocked to see him. "You got something that belongs to my girl. Give it up!"

"No way!" Uriah said as he peeled off down a side path. His posse moved to intercept Jake but were way-laid by Trixie and Spud.

"Your shoes are untied," Spud said to Clubber.

"So?" Clubber cleverly (for him) retorted. "Never learned to tie'em in the first place!"

"Oh... in that case, they _are _tied."

"Huh? Clubber looked down at his feet... and went off the path into a large, prickly bush. "Yeeow!"

Trixie smiled at her own opponent, who was momentarily thrown by the flirty twist in her lips. Kurt grinned stupidly and waved at her, completely missing the low hanging branch that caught him in the face and knocked him off his board. "I got that effect on men," Trixie told him as he lay stunned on the pavement.

Jake was trying to corner Uriah but the delinquent was either a skilled boarder or incredibly reckless; he was even skating over the grassy hills to get away from the dragon. Realizing he was going to have to do something drastic, Jake waited until Uriah was out of sight around a corner and going downhill.

Jake stopped and peered through the trees that seperated him from Uriah; the punk looked relieved that Jake seemed to have lost him, which was far from the truth. Jake picked an opening in the trees that was large enough for what he had in mind and made a U-turn on his board to gain speed.

When it looked Jake was about launch himself off the hillside into the trees, he said, "Wings of the Dragon!" Two bursts of blue flame sprung from Jake's shoulders and transformed into his dragon wings. Jake grabbed the sides of his board and flapped his powerful wings, lifting off from the ground and flying down through the trees toward Uriah.

Uriah breathed a sigh of relief now that guy in red was gone. When he had seen Hay Lin walking with some girls he didn't recognize it had seemed like an easy mark: snatch the girl's purse, take the cash and dump the bag in the nearest trash can. He hadn't a clue the three boarders nearby were with the Lin chick and the kid with the green hair sticking out of his helmet seemed pretty P.O.'d when he took the purse.

Uriah smiled to himself and started to open the purse, wondering just how big the score was and not noticing Jake gliding toward him with a smirk of anticipation. Jake's wings dissolved back into him as he called to Uriah, "Head's up, fool!'

Uriah's eyes to darted to Jake and he have a yelp as his pursuer landed in front of him, dropping the purse when he swerved to avoid Jake... and went straight into a conveniently placed garbage can, falling off his board and into the trash receptacle.

Jake retrieved Hay Lin's purse and dusted it off, then skated off to where he'd left the others. As he rolled past Uriah's temporary residence, he gave his fallen opponent a mock salute and said, "It wasn't your color anyway, homes. Catch ya on the flip side!" Uriah glared at Jake from beneath the chili fries stuck on his face and helmet. Whoever the guy in red was, he was on Uriah's List of People To Get Even With and at the very top, too; Uriah mused on this as he absent-mindly ate one of the chili fries.

Hay Lin was worried about Jake-an odd notion considering he was a fire-breathing dragon going up against a cowardly bully like Uriah, but that's just how Hay Lin was-and was greatly relieved when he reappeared-and with her purse, too! Hopping off his board and kicking the back of it to pop it up into his hand, Jake handed Hay Lin her purse. "Here you go, Hay. I asked real nicely and got it back for you."

Hay Lin took her bag back and hugged Jake around the neck. "You're still my hero, Jake! And Trixie and Spud, too, thank you!"

"Twas nothing, milady," Spud said theatrically. "Those ne'er-do-wells were ne'er any trouble at all."

"I could have took care of 'em," Ben mumbled as smacked the red Omnitrix with his fist, "if the watch was re-" The watch face turned green again. "-charged..."

"Next one's yours, then," Jake said as he lightly tapped a fist on Ben's shoulder. "Let's get on up to Will's, the heat's rough as hydra scale."

"I can help with that," Hay Lin said, waving her hand around at the wrist; a cool breeze blew across the group from seemingly out of nowhere. "One of the perks of being an Air Guardian!"

"Air spells are my favorite," Gwen said, "but most of the time I'm using them to hurt bad guys, so I'm not real good at the gentle stuff."

"Then you really want to study under Grandma," Hay said. "She'll teach you all kinds of things."

"Only Gwen would spend her summer studying," Ben said in disgust. "I can't believe we're related."

"But you guys look so alike," Hay Lin said. "Almost like twins!" Fittingly, the gagging noises Ben and Gwen made were identical.

* * *

"So how's your summer going, Will?" Dean asked Will as they finished setting the table.

"Okay," Will said and that was the truth. For a Guardian, any stretch of time that didn't involve saving a world or two was "okay." It was very "okay." "Anytime I don't have homework... uh..." She had forgotten she was talking to her history teacher.

"It's alright, I was a kid once, too," Dean pointed out.

"So you didn't like schoolwork?" Will asked in amazement.

"Uhm, well, yes... but not during summer, of course." Will smiled and nodded; poor guy was a nerd, not cool like her father was. He was nice enough, but what did her mom see in him? Maybe he was just a phase, a starting point for Susan to get back into the dating world. In that case, Will decided to be extra-nice to him since he was on borrowed time.

The intercom near the door to the apartment buzzed and Will excused herself to answer it. When she pressed the button Jack Fenton's voice filled the air: "_I wish you'd let me bring some of our equipment, Maddie, I'm sure a building this nice has insurance..._"

"Mr. Fenton?" Will asked through the intercom.

"_Little_ _Will_! _See, Maddie, I told you this was the right building_!"

"_Yes, you did, dear_," Maddie said in a soothing voice, like Jack was a little kid instead of her husband.

"I'm buzzing you guys up," Will said. She did so and turned to Dean. "Those are the friends of Mom and their kids. Now, I know you can't help it during the school year, Teach, but try not to assign them any homework, okay?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'll be sure to restrain myself." It was amazing how much his understanding of his students had increased since he had started seeing Susan and interacting with her daughter-well, more like since Will had finally accepted his relationship with her mother. Though Dean had always liked children, he'd never had any of his own and Will was the closest thing he had to a daughter-which was probably not a good thing to vocalize at this point, but it was the truth. Not that she had welcomed him at first; quite the opposite, not that he expected her to be happy about him considering he was the first man in Susan's life since her divorce.

Susan had been up-front about her marriage and why it hadn't worked out; Will's father Tony had made some bad business deals and nearly bankrupted them before Susan had any inkling about what had happened. She had realized that both her and her daughter were no longer the focus in Tony's life and got out while she still had a little left to her name; Tony had barely noticed their absence and signed the divorce papers without even contesting custody for Will.

Still, Will adored the man and Dean tried very carefully to never give the impression he was trying to replace him. After finally meeting Tony Vandom he wasn't sure what to make of him; he was a smooth, cool customer (the total opposite of Dean, he could admit that) who was engaged to an attractive model that bore a passing resemblance to his ex-wife. Susan still hated him, that much was certain and Dean realized regretfully Will would never see him as her father or even a father-figure; even if things did work out with Susan, he would always be the man that married her mother and nothing more.

It was sad because Dean really wanted Will's respect and some affection; he could tell she was special, even among the hundreds of students at the school where he taught. He wasn't sure why, but it was like taking care of Will was a special duty he wanted to be worthy of. As a history teacher his studies involved the study of the greatest people in history; that allowed him see attributes in people that were marks of said greatness. In Will he saw leadership, humility, compassion and-most obviously-a strong spirit that didn't roll over for anyone if Will believed she was right. And Dean wanted badly to be a part of raising that spirit.

Dean pushed those thoughts aside and tried to think up some small talk. All he could manage was, "You know, I was planning on going to that convention tomorrow, if you and Susan aren't doing anything..."

"Oh, we're already going," Will said. "The Fentons have a booth there and we're going to visit it."

"Oh?" So much for that. "Well, maybe I'll see you there?"

"You can come with us... I mean, if you want to."

Dean smiled at the offer. "I'd like that." Will quickly answered the door when the bell ring; Dean knew she had felt as awkward as he did, but it was still a sincere invitation. Most men would have dubbed Susan as "damaged goods" with her teenage daughter, but to Dean they felt like a complete package. He wondered why Will's father didn't seem to feel the same but chastising himself for the thought; he shouldn't judge a man he barely knew. Even if said man had walked away from a good woman and a wonderful daughter.

Will looked through the peep hole in her door-despite Susan's complaints to the contrary, Dean had noticed Will was surprisingly careful for someone her age-and opened the door after she confirmed it was the Fentons.

Dean had been told the Fentons were dedicated scientists, but Susan hadn't said anything about the haz-mat suits Jack and Maddie wore so comfortably. "You must be Dean!" Jack said as he took Collins' hand in his massive rubber fist and shook it vigorously. "You kind of look like Chuck Norris, you know that? I'm a big fan of his, got all of _Walker: Texas Ranger_ on DVD. Did you see him in _Dodgeball_!?"

"Uh..." Dean tried to say; Will wasn't laughing at him, was she?

Will _was_ laughing at and feeling sorry for her teacher at the same time as she greeted Danny and the others. "That's Mr. Collins, my history teacher," she said as she took a bag of drinks from Danny. "And, for some reason I can't even imagine, he's dating my mom. Weird, huh?"

"Not really," Tucker said. "Your mom's pretty hot." Will stared at him. "No, seriously, she reminds me of that model Sarina Sanchez. You know her?"

"Uh, yeah... she's engaged to my dad," Will admitted. Tucker laughed like Will was telling a joke. "No, seriously. She is."

"Small world," Tuck said in amazement. "Guess your dad has a type, huh, because your mom and Sarina..."

"Where's the bathroom?" Sam said as she slapped a hand over Tucker's mouth; the techno-geek seemed to enjoy pointing out obvious and embarrassing facts. "I need to touch up on my eye-liner."

"Down the hall," Will pointed out, wondering what point Tucker was trying to make about her dad. "How're things going at the convention?"

"Everything's set up," Danny said as Sam left for the bathroom. "Anything we can help with here?"

Will shook her head and directed them to the living room; they walked past the adults who exchanging the usual grown-up pleasantries, how are you, how are the kids, how many Chuck Norris movies have you seen (Jack.) Tucker and Danny sat on the couch, Danny plopping more heavily than Tucker as he was exhausted from all the teaching he had given Dani earlier. "You look beat, Danny," Will observed. "You must have really worked hard this afternoon."

Danny nodded, remembering all the times he had to break himself out of Danielle's ice when she accidentally froze him. "I paid my dues, that's for sure. You place is nice, by the way."

"Thanks! You have a whole building of your own, right? Your room must be huge."

"FentonWorks, yeah. My room's alright, but I spend most of my time in the lab-that's probably why I made you ill." Danny was as regretful as he looked. "Don't be mad, but I don't think I should touch you at all this week. Ecto-allergies aren't common but I think that's what it is."

"Not a problem, that's pretty considerate of you. Besides, my boyfriend might get jealous."

Tucker laughed. "Of _Danny_? Can't see that happening!"

Danny punched Tucker in the shoulder. "It's great to have the support of your friends, isn't it? Want to know how many dates Tucker has had, Will? Just divide by zero."

"I'm waiting for the right woman," Tucker said. "Sarina was at the top of my list, but I suppose I could hold off my irresistible charm for your Dad's sake."

Will tried not to laugh as she said, "I appreciate that, Tucker." The intercom buzzed. "Excuse me, guys. Turn on the TV if you want." Will got up and pressed the intercom button. "Hello? Vandom residence."

"_Is this heaven_?" a male voice asked. "'_Cause it sounds like I'm talking to an angel_."

Will snorted. " Yeah, an angel with horns. Get up here, rock star, you're late."

"_Sorry, babe, rehearsal ran long_. _Party started already_?"

"Not yet, we're just talking." Will grinned wolfishly. "I'm entertaining two very interesting young men."

"_Seriously_? _Crap, I'd better hurry up there before you drop me_."

"You better, Olsen. See ya in a few."

"_See ya,_" Will was grinning like an idiot as her finger left the button; she couldn't have dropped Matt any more than she could have given up an arm, but it didn't hurt for him to be a little concerned. When she turned around all four of the adults were staring at her with amused expressions. "What?"

"You know," Susan began, "it just occured to me that we could do a double-date, you and Matt and me and Dean. What do you think of that?" The look of abject horror on Will's face was answer enough. "Would it really be that bad?"

"Susan," Dean said, "the last thing any teen wants to see is their mother and teacher on her date." Will shot Dean a grateful look that made him feel indescribably good; maybe he would never be her father, but it would be enough to be her friend.

* * *

Matt Olsen picked his bucket hat off his head and fanned himself with it. Lugging his guitar and amp in this heat was murder, but it would be worth it to sing a song to Will. She deserved it after trying so hard to impress his folks; Matt wished they would lighten up, but they just weren't accepting Will for some reason. Even if they were trying to protect him, it was time they got over it-and the fact that Will had poisoned her father by accident should have been a non-issue, Matt thought.

Well, now he would be trying to impress Will's mother so he had to have his head straight. Mind his manners, use a napkin... and try not stare at Will too much. Parents hated when you checked out their daughters and Susan Vandom was scary over-protective. Matt was glad there were other teens coming over, that would help him from freaking out too much.

"Hey Matt!" Hay Lin waved to her B.F.'s beau as they neared the entrance to Will's building. "This is Jake, Spud, Trixie, Gwen, Ben, Ray Ray and June! They're all going to be Grandma's students this summer-well, except Ben, he doesn't like to study. But June loves your music!"

"Really?" Matt Olsen said as he held out his hand to June, pleased they were both carrying similar equipment. "I guess you heard one of Wreck 55's demo discs."

"You got it," June said as she shook his hand; Matt winced a little at the enormous pressure her fingers applied. "You guys were great, I really liked 'Demon In Me.'"

Matt chuckled weakly as he readjusted his guitar case strap. "Yeah, it's a good song... just not the best memories."

"Matt had a real monster in him at one time," Hay Lin explained non-chalantly. "But he took care of that and now he can change into it to fight with W.I.T.C.H."

"Uh, Hay Lin?!" Matt sputtered out. "What...?"

"Oh, don't worry, they're all in the know! Jake's a dragon, June's super-strong, Gwen's a magic-user and Ben 's watch changes him into lots of aliens! Isn't that NEAT?!"

It was a good thing Matt was so laid-back, or this would have really thrown him. "Uh, yeah, it is." A squeaking sounded from Matt's bag and a small gray head poked out from the carry-on. "Mr. Huggles wants to say hi, I guess."

"Hello, Mr. H!" Hay Lin said as she patted the dormouse's head. The rodent leapt onto Hay Lin's arm and curled around her neck like a furry necklace. "Oh, that's why we call him Huggles-he likes to give hugs!"

"So cute!" Gwen said as she let Huggles sniff her hand before petting him. "Will told us about him! Dormice aren't usually kept as pets, right?"

"My grandfather runs a pet shop," Matt said, "and he treats a lot of injured animals. I tried to give Mr. H to Will as a present but he's just too wild with anyone but me." Gwen noticed Ben was glaring daggers at Matt, probably wishing he had a dozen dormice to give Will. It was weird to think Ben was interested in girls, even though Will was not the first he'd had a crush on; proof positive of the power of hormones, as Ben often derided Gwen's gender in that quaint way all young boys did. And then Gwen hit him for being a sexist. It all worked out in the end.

"You can change into a monster?" Ray Ray asked eagerly. "Is it ugly? Can it throw a car? _Does it ooze_?"

"What is a monster, but a mis-understood being that goes against the grain of society's expectations?" Spud asked rhetorically.

"You got to knock this off," Trixie said warningly. "You got to knock this off _right now_."

A bewildered Matt held the door open until Jake took over for him. "Don't worry, man, we all know how to keep a secret. Jake Long."

Matt and Jake bumped fists, officially meeting and greeting. "Matt Olsen. So you guys are spending the rest of the summer here in Heatherfield? Bad timing, man, really. It's hotter than a mad Taranee right now."

"I can handle a little heat," Jake said with an ironic smirk. "No worse than NYC this time of year. You sing and write, yeah? I do some free-stylin' on the mic, but nothing serious like you and June." June had told Jake about the band she and her sibling performed as called Short Angry Freuds; Jake and his friends had toyed with the idea of starting their own group, but dragon business had pretty much killed that dream. On the up side, they were bona-fide celebs in the magical community.

"If you ever saw me and my brothers practice," June spoke up, "you'd know 'serious' doesn't really figure into it."

"She's just jealous of my mad drumming skills," Ray Ray said to Matt. June "accidentally" bumped him on the head with her amp.

Hay Lin pressed the button for Will's floor and the elevator opened. "I always hate these things, they're so enclosed." The boys let the ladies go in first (except for Ben, who was still in social training and got a kick from Gwen for not being a gentlemen) and once they were all inside the doors closed. Hay Lin huffed. "Bad thing about being an Air Guardian; less air is kinda freaky."

"So if you're the Air Guardian," Gwen began, "what does that make the others?"

"Oh, well, Cornelia is Earth, the ground and plants and stuff. Irma's water, she can shoot it out of her hands and we can make ice together, brrr! I get cold thinking about it! Taranee is fire, well, you can figure out what she can do. Will's thing is electricity and she's the Keeper of the Heart who's also the leader..."

"Heart?" Ben asked. "Like a real bloody heart?" Wouldn't that be cool?

"No, silly, the Heart of Candracar, it's the necklace she wears. It changes us and does all kind of things. Grandma says it was made by a beautiful nymph and four dragons a long time ago after the nymph's mean emperor-father imprisoned the dragons for helping people. Maybe they're relatives of yours, Jake?"

Jake shrugged. "Maybe. I think Gramps mentioned something like that, the dragons became the four rivers of China and brought the people water. Cool story. I heard the nymph was hot stuff." He raised his eyebrows at Hay Lin. "Makes sense you and you girls got picked, then."

Hay Lin blushed and tried to keep from giggling. Matt cleared his throat and said, "Uh, Jake? Just so you know, Hay's taken..."

"Oh, I know that, man," Jake reassured him. "And I respect that. Already got a pretty lady of my own, but no reason not to compliment, right?"

"Not unless your lady's an ex-dragon slayer," Trixie pointed out. "Jakey likes living dangerously."

Matt laughed. "Try dating a Guardian. Never a dull moment." The elevator opened at Will's floor and they piled out. As the group approached Will's door they heard Jack Fenton's booming voice and June narrowed her eyes as she realized that his son was already here. June thought that the boy who might be a ghost had better be on his best behavior...

Or Danny Fenton would see Juniper Lee at her worst.

* * *

Author's Note: Just wanted to bring back the bad guys so you know what they're up to. The H.A.M. section was my favorite. Bad times for those guys, for sure.

A lot the scenes in Will's apartment were some of my personal views on the complicated characters in W.I.T.C.H, like Sarina's resemblance to Susan, as well drawing from the comics. It may seem random but I just want to say that there is a point to everything I write, if not in this story then later in the series.

June is sure protective of Will, huh? I'm working on Guardians and Protectors right now to explain that. _It's not femme-slash_!

When Will calls herself an angel with horns, that refers to my new one-shot Angel With Horns. Check it out for the Will/Matt content.

Episode References: Nasty Burger is a restaurant from _Danny Phantom_ and its slogan is the same one used in this chapter. Despite the name the kids always eat there for some reason. "Mazel tov" is Yiddish and is a way of saying congratulations; Sam is Jewish in the show and her gandmother is Yiddish.

The Forever King is the leader of the Forever Knights in _Ben 10_. I think he looks like the male version of an evil Statue of Liberty myself; that is how my mind works.

Uriah and the Dunnsters are trouble-makers from _W.I.T.C.H._ and decent skate-boarders-but not as good as Jake, Trixie and Spud. Sarina Sanchez is from the episode, "Q is For Quarry." For a hot model, she's a very nice woman; what she sees in Tony Vandom I don't know.

June's band is from her show, while in the first season title sequence for _American Dragon_ Jake has a dream about his crew being in a band. Jake also raps in several episodes of the show, but don't expect me to do anything like that in this story. It's hard enough doing the hip-hop speech. I also tried to copy Fu Dog's speech from the show ("Agoo-goo!")Wh


	9. It's My Party and I'll Spy If I Want To

Disclaimer: Dude, if I actually owned any of these series do you think I'd be writing stories I don't get paid for? Whatever.

Author's Note: Been a while, sorry. I'm working on the next chapter as you read this so it will published much sooner than this one. And it's got an honest to goodness _fight_ in it! Bring the pain!

There are going to be some format changes to improve the look of the chapters from now. Honestly, you probably won't notice, but I thought I should say something.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: It's My Party And I'll Spy If I Want To**

* * *

Danny Phantom ducked his head as a purple ecto-beam barely missed removing his ear and fired back with a short green beam out of his palm. The shadowy figure that was assaulting him batted away his counter-attack with a flick of its wrist and attacked again, this time the ecto-beam catching the halfa in the gut and knocking him out of the air with a yelp of pain.

He landed hard and rolled to a crouching position on the dark ground, one hand on the ground and the other glowing with ecto-energy. He fired at his attacker's feet only to see his target float above the attack, barely dodging the counter-attack with another roll before taking flight and rising to his opponent's level.

"Very good, Daniel," the figure said. "You've come so far in so little time, any father would be proud to call you 'son'."

"I'm not your son!" Danny said defiantly, even though his opponent hadn't implied that he was.

The figure laughed loudly and malevolently, white canines flashing in the shadows of his face. "Are you so sure, little badger? Who's taught you more, Jack Fenton or I? A father must challenge his children to grow and if I'm anything to you, it's a _challenge_."

"Shut up!" Danny shouted, bringing his hands together for a double-blast of ectoplasm-only to see his normal human hands instead of the white gloves Danny Phantom possessed. He looked down and saw his regular self seconds before he fell to the hard ground with a yelp of surprise.

He tried to rise to his feet but his body felt like it weighed several tons, barely managing to prop himself up on his arms. The figure landed in front of him and bent over, grabbing Danny by the front of his white T-shirt and lifting him easily into the air. He brought Danny's face close to his; his blue skin, red eyes, pointed ears and V-shaped black hair were that of Vlad Plasmius, Danny's most persistent enemy. "You'll always be twenty years behind me, Daniel, until you realize that although Jack is your _human_ father, I am the only one who understands what you've become. We are _freaks_ to the world, child, they would never understand. I know what it's like to be alone... _and so do you_."

Vlad flung Danny away from him and the young halfa fell into nothingness, the only light that of Vlad's white cape and suit as he fell forever, the darkness calling his name, Danny, Danny...

* * *

"Danny. Danny, wake up, man!"

Danny awoke with a snort, knocking Tucker's arm away clumsily and nearly falling off of Will's couch. _It was just a dream_, he realized. _Just a dream_... with parts that were all too real. "You okay?" a concerned Tucker asked. "You nodded off there and it looked like you were having a nightmare."

Danny rubbed his eyes, trying to rejoin the land of the living and achieving partial success. "I... yeah. I'm good. Must have been more tired than I thought."

"Was it a bad one?" Hay Lin's voice asked with earnest concern. Danny winced when he realized the rest of the kids had arrived, along with a new guy with a guitar he realized was likely Matt Olsen, Will's boyfriend. Will herself was looking at him with the same expression he'd worn after she had fainted at the _Dragon_.

Danny held up his hands and smiled sheepishly. "It's no big deal. I... I was dreaming I was doing English make-up work all summer. Staring at Mr. Lancer will give anyone nightmares." The kids chuckled at that even though they'd never seen Lancer before.

"I made Professor Collins promise not to give us any summer homework," Will said, pointing at Dean.

"Oh... well, history's okay, I like history. The only thing I really hate is math, I mean..."

"_When are we ever going to need that stuff_?" Danny and Will said together, then stared at each other in surprise before grinning.

"Wow, echo!" Tucker said. "The anti-math sentiment is heavy in this apartment. If you're ever going to be an astronaut, Danny, you're going to need better grades in the M's."

"This is just getting weird," an amused Will said. "Not only do we both hate math, but June wants to be an astronaut, too."

"Seriously?" Danny asked June, who seemed annoyed that she and Fenton had this dream in common. "Do you want to be a shuttle pilot or do space walks?"

"Either one's fine with me," June stated. "So long as I can get off this planet and get some perspective. Maybe we'll be on the same mission, ya think?"

Danny felt a little bad since he had already reached outer space while battling one of his ghostly rogues; sometimes the superhero gig had its benefits. "Maybe we will. Heck, maybe Dad could _build_ us a shuttle when he's got some free time. I test out all my family's equipment, anyway." He held up the Fenton Recorder for emphasis, then used it's camera function to take an impromptu group picture of the kids.

"No!" Gwen yelped, clutching her head like it was about to explode. "My hair!" Hay Lin's artificial breeze in the park had blown it asunder again and after her innocent observation Gwen was worried she further resembled Ben and his messy mop-top.

There was a quiet _beep_ and the Omnitrix turned green again, causing Danny and Tucker to give Ben curious looks. "It's a... it's a timer! _Sumo Slammers_ is on, but it's probably a re-run," Ben added, not wanting to watch cartoons in front of Will. That would be so baby-ish...

"I love that show!" Matt said. "Do you collect the cards? My band mates and I have been looking for a gold one..." Ben's jaw dropped as he realized Will's supposedly cool boyfriend shared one of his obsessions.

"This is Matt," Will said to Danny and Tucker. "Matt, this is Danny and Tucker. Danny caught me when I had a dizzy spell at the restaurant and fell, so he's my hero for today."

"After I think I caused it," Danny quickly added. "Will might be allergic to the chemicals my parents use, my whole house is a lab. Literally."

"No harm, no foul," Matt said as he shook hands with Danny. "Just as long as Will didn't get hurt I don't mind who does the catching. Hay Lin said you knew Danny Phantom, the Ghost Boy?"

"Not personally." Danny's eye twitched again. "And he doesn't like being called the Ghost Boy, he's our age after all." That particular misnomer was starting to wear on Danny, so instead he suggested, "A lot of us are calling him the Spirit of Justice since he's Amity Park's protector."

"Sweet! That would make a good song title. I know Will's obsessed with him..."

"Am _not_!"

"...so maybe I'll write a song about him. I've always been a fan of Static from Dakota City, but Phantom's pretty cool, too. Flying is... awesome." Jake and Ben nodded to themselves in agreement. "I mean, it would be an awesome power to have!"

"There's a lot of teen superheroes these days," Hay Lin said. "My favorite is the Spider-Man from New York-though he looks a little young to be a Spider-_Man_. Have you ever seen him, Jake?"

"Uh... yeah, a little," Jake said. "Sometimes." The American Dragon hated not being totally honest with Hay; Spidey was actually a friend of his and had helped Jake during a major crisis last spring. Oh, man... if Hay Lin didn't love him now, what would she do if he got her an autograph from Spider-Man?

"I like those alien heroes," Ben said with a wide grin. "They're really cool!" Gwen rolled her eyes; Ben's many alien forms each had a reputation for heroics and her cousin never tired of the acclaim.

"It sounds weird," Tucker began, "But my favorite superhero is Static's sidekick Gear. That guy has some sweet... uh, gear. I tried to make his rocket boots, but... I kinda made a new skylight for my house instead." June and Matt began to set up their amps as the kids discussed their favorite young superheros.

"I know they're not teens anymore, but the Titans are really cool," Hay Lin said. "They were around before the Justice League and there's so many of them! Nightwing, Cyborg, Beast Boy... I love Beast Boy, he's so funny!"

"Sam likes Raven," Danny said. "That girl with the purple hood? Says she's 'Goth incarnate.'"

"I prefer Starfire myself," Tucker added with a smirk. "_Much_ better costume."

"NYC's loaded with superheroes," Jake mused. "Besides Spidey we got the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Justice Force... hey, where's your girl, Danny?"

It took Danny a moment to realize who Jake meant. "Sam? She's in the, ah, she's fixing her make-up. Or whatever Goths do in the bathroom."

"Probably scowling at the mirror," Tucker suggested. "Trying to show that right amount of canine."

June did a few practice cords on her guitar, impressing those who hadn't heard her before. "Nice," Matt said appreciably. "You've got some skill."

"Thanks," June said. "But I can't write lyrics to save my life. Hey, Ben, want to give my guitar a try?"

"Uh... okay." Ben took June's instrument and sat on the couch next to Danny. He was able to play a few notes (Ben hoped no one realized that it was "The Itsy Bitsy Spider") but it was painfully apparent that he was far behind June in skill. Ben winced as he finished. "I'm, uhm, not that good... my dad teaches me sometimes. You're way better than me."

"I get a lot of practice with my brothers," June said. "Don't be too hard on yourself, that never helps you get any better. Here, you hold your fingers like this..."

* * *

"Mother-frikkin'... should just shave my head," Sam muttered in the Vandoms' bathroom as she criticized her reflection. After days of being held in her signature pony-tail her hair had become nearly unmanageable; finally, she just yanked out her purple scrunchie and let it all hang down. Her unruly black locks gave her the appearance of a wild animal in human form, the goth thought, or maybe a deranged killer from one of her beloved horror movies. _Nice_, Sam thought.

Straightening her hair out a little so as to not frighten the others Sam opened the door to the bathroom and nearly ran into a really cute boy with hair as wild as hers, his fist raised to knock on the door. "Sam, right?" the boy asked. "I'm Matt. We're just about ready to eat. Hungry?"

"Ahhhhh..." Sam felt like she had been asked a Jeopardy-level question. _Wait, what was the answer again_? "Hungry... yes, yes I am." _I don't think that was the right answer..._

"Cool hair," Matt said in an aside. "Will said you were the girl with the ponytail..." He rolled his eyes. "Like there's that many girls in her bathroom."

Sam giggled like... like a _girl_, shocking herself. She _never _giggled like that. Ever. "If there is anyone in there, they're hid pretty well. So..." Sam, who always had a quip ready, had to struggle to find a topic to continue the conversation. "You're in a band, right?"

"Why? You looking to be a groupie?" Matt teased.

Sam made a very rude sound. "Hey! Sam Manson is no groupie, pal. Though if you're looking for a manager I'm good at bossing people around. Just ask Danny and Tucker."

"Yeah, I met them just now. Danny's Will's favorite because he caught her when she fell; I'm glad he did, but I'm a little jealous."

_Jealous of Danny_? Sam thought. _Weird_, _but... well_, _I guess I can see that._ "Yeah, well, don't worry about it. Danny likes to play the hero." The two teens re-entered the living room; Will and Gwen were setting up a portable table to accommodate the extra mouths. Danny looked at Sam and did a double-take, then grinned and held the Fenton Recorder up to take a picture of his female friend. "Hey, what's with the photo op?"

"Your hair looks cool like that, Sam," Danny admitted.

Sam's pale cheeks blushed lightly at the innocent compliment; likely Danny hadn't thought anything about saying it, but for Sam it had more of an impact than her friend would have suspected. It was a more or less a secret that the two felt the beginnings of a crush between them (Tucker had flat-out stated it to Sam at one point in his typically blunt manner) but neither wanted to make anything resembling a move in that direction. They-Danny, Tucker and Sam-were a tight-nit group even before they became Team Phantom and, to be perfectly honest, none of them had any close friends besides the other two.

Part of it was their social outcast status at Casper High-a status ironically shared by eighty percent of the student body with the jocks and drama queens making up the minority-and part of it was their ghost-hunting escapades which made it difficult to meet new people-that weren't ghosts trying to kill them, of course.

She and Danny had dated other people but the relationships ended rather badly: Danny's troubles with the slightly crazed Valerie Gray and Sam's own fiasco with a poser. At the end of the day they always came back to the group to gripe and bemoan their troubles. Maybe that was why they were still "just friends", because they were the only people they could count on to just _be there_. Sam ruefully thought that the only thing that could push them to make a move toward a relationship would be a deadly asteroid heading toward the planet; _Cue that _Titanic_ song_, she thought, _but only if it's done by Rob Zombie_!

Boys weren't the immediate issue on Sam's mind, though; she watched Hay Lin and Will interact out of the corner of her eye as they set the table with Chinese food and marveled at the concept of _girl friends_. Sam had done a mental shrug when she found out that W.I.T.C.H. was doing a group thing since girls-except for Sam and maybe Trixie-seemed to stick together like pack animals. Normally Sam could barely muster contempt for the denial of individualism (_seriously_, _an _acronym_? For crying out loud_...) but this didn't seem to be the case for the five girls.

They were nothing if not individuals, each so distinct it was hard to see any of the overlapping traits that accompanied girl-packs like "Ohmigod! I love pink Mary Janes, too!" Each had their defined roles, sure, but they seemed genuinely fond of each other. It was... kind of cool to see girls like that. Most of the ones at Casper High were either hyenas, laughing at an insanely high pitch as they ridiculed others and devouring doomed freaks and geeks with their ravenous critique, or the prey of the hyenas. Sam had her own distinct place on the food chain, a dark-haired raven pecking at the hyena's head with her sharp sarcasm.

Maybe it was all the negative energy ghosts brought over from the Ghost Zone that made Paulina and her ilk so inherently nasty; Sam couldn't say for sure. Most likely it was lax parenting and spoiled daughters. Whatever the case, Sam felt like she had stepped into another plane of existence (been there, done that) into this Heatherfield where people were... people.

Sam told herself to be careful. Next thing she knew, W.I.T.C.H. would be dragging her to a day spa for those advertised "rejuvenation treatments." And... _petticures_. The thought of someone touching her feet was enough to send shivers down her spine that no inhuman monstrosity could hope to elicit. Except maybe for Danny, who gave really good foot rubs.

June's last few chords were accompanied by a growling of her stomach. "Man... sorry to end the sound check, but I need to down a few more egg rolls. Worked up an appetite carrying all those platters at the _Dragon_."

"I had some nachos at rehearsal," Matt said as he threw his guitar strap over his head. "I'll strum a little while you guys are eating, a little dinner music with your food."

"Maybe Will can feed you while you're playing?" Hay Lin said. "It's so cute when she does that." Matt blushed as Will smirked at the giggles that followed Hay Lin's suggestion. Despite only eating a few hours ago everyone dug into their food, growing appetites aided by their various labors. Ray Ray had gotten hold of the Fenton Recorder and was filming everyone eating like it was wildlife documentary; June batted him away as he tried to get a close-up on her mouth as she chewed.

Will was staring deeply at Matt when Hay Lin nudged her elbow. "Hey, Will? Let's go to your room for a sec. I got something to tell you." Hay Lin looked side to side to see if anyone was looking at them, then added, "It's a G-U-A-R..."

"I get it," Will said, miffed she couldn't continue Matt-watching. "Be back in a minute, guys." The two Guardians went to Will's bedroom and closed the door.

Over the next few minutes Hay Lin gave a hurried, somewhat confusing account of what had happened in the _Silver Dragon_'s basement; Will tried to keep up with all the transformations and revelations. "So the bottom line is," Will summed up for the Air Guardian, "they know who we are and they're good."

"Basically! Jake is this cool dragon-person-hybid thing-y and Ben's all these aliens..."

"Okay, okay! I get it," Will said, unable to keep from smiling at Hay Lin's excitement. The idea of dragons and aliens being in her house for the summer must have been heaven for the science fiction fangirl. "Let's head back before anyone starts to wonder." Will was about to open the door to her bedroom when someone knocked from the other side; she opened it to find June, Gwen and Ben standing there looking excited about something. "What's up, guys?"

"We have an idea," June said as she hustled Ben and Gwen into the room. "Ben was telling us about his aliens and one of them would be perfect for spying on Fenton."

"Spying on... _June_..." Will groused.

"Hey, we can't be too careful, right? If I'm wrong, no big deal. If I'm right... it's still no big deal."

"So, the only reason we're going to do this is because your curiosity is killing you and you have to know?"

"_Like you wouldn't believe_!" June said in exasperation. Will and Gwen laughed at June's admission while Ben tried not to freak out at being in a girl's room-_Will's_ room to boot. Will, who was pretty but not all girly to the extreme like most girls; she was a superhero, too, and that was really cool. Ben hoped she'd be impressed with the Omnitrix-and by extension, Ben. It was too bad the first alien hero she'd see would be his wimpiest. But, judging from all the frog stuff Will had in her room, maybe she'd like Grey Matter since the little alien looked like a toad in a space-suit.

"Here's the deal," June continued. "We're going to get Fenton and his friends alone and send Ben in as his smallest alien to listen in, but before that we're going to start another Danny Phantom discussion-maybe drop a few hints that Danny kinda looks like him. I'm going to fake a..." She looked over at Ben apologetically. "A _feminine_ problem and you girls are going to help me. Matt and Ben are going to pretend to head for the store for snacks and go to the roof; Matt will lower Ben down to your living room window. Jake and his crew will be doing dishes, leaving our targets..."

"'_Targets_'..." Will laughed at June's annoyed look. "Please continue, Ms. Bond."

"Leaving Fenton and friends alone so Ben can listen in. Okay?"

Will sighed heavily. "Fine. Let's just get this over with and out of your system. Good luck, Ben, and be careful." Will could have asked any of her electrical appliances to spy on Danny for her, but June and the other kids seemed to be enjoying playing _Mission: Impossible_; who was she to ruin their fun?

Ben tried to laugh confidently, only to end up sounding slightly demented instead. "Hey, I'm so good I don't need luck!" He tried to leave Will's room and walked into the door when it failed to open. "Oh... ha, it swings _in_. My bad." Ben beat a hasty retreat to the living room.

Gwen tried not to smirk as she said, "He has his good days and bad."

"Is there something wrong with him?" Will asked worriedly.

"He has a terminal case of extreme dorkiness."

Will looked at June for a better answer. "You don't have brothers," June stated. "You wouldn't understand what it's like to deal with a male you're not dating on a regular basis."

"Think again," Will said. "You're forgetting Caleb. And Blunk, kinda."

"Can't forget_ Caleb_, Red!" June said with a lusty chortle that sounded kind of eerie coming from an eleven year-old. "I am so jealous of you guys now; all I have is Ray Ray and the pug!"

"Hello?" Gwen added. "I'm even worse off than you! Ben can be the brattiest, the dumbest, the nastiest..."

"You must love him a lot," Will observed.

"What?!" Gwen yelped. "No way!"

"The more people fight, the more they care about each other," Will said, then remembered her parents and added, "Usually. Cornelia and Caleb fight all the time, but they always come back to each other. You can tell you guys are related when you're yelling at each other, it's like stereo!"

"Ben and I are _nothing_ alike!" Gwen declared as she started to open the door. "Not even a little bit." Gwen frowned when the door wouldn't open, then flushed when she realized her mistake. "It opens inward, okay..." When she was gone June and Will exchanged wry glances.

"Denial..." Will began.

"It ain't just a river," June finished.

* * *

Tucker wondered if he could get girls to stare at him like Matt could when he played his guitar. Playing an instrument didn't seem all that different than hacking a computer; both required concentration, a sense of timing and dexterous fingers, all of which Tucker possessed. The one skill Matt had that Tucker lacked-according to Danny and Sam-was a singing voice that didn't constitute air pollution, though Tucker himself thought himself to be a half-way decent vocalist.

Denial wasn't just something Gwen Tennyson indulged in, of course.

Tucker was surfing the net on his PDA for cheap guitar lessons when Will and June rejoined them. While not exactly the bombshell Tucker had envisioned (and hoped for) Will was still pretty cute and seemed fairly nice-a rare combination in Tuck's experience with the opposite sex. And of course she had a boyfriend due to those traits; that was _not_ rare in Tuck's experience.

Tucker was comparing prices on used guitars when a blast of static flashed across the PDA's screen. Tucker raised an eyebrow but was not terribly surprised; ever since the ghost scientist Technus has hidden in his personal assistant it was prone to strange glitches and malfunctions caused by the saturation of ectoplasm in the circuitry. His limited allowance (and almost pathological need for other electronic devices) prevented him from purchasing another one, so Tucker had shrugged it off and took the device's quirks in stride. It was sometimes beneficial as a warning device whenever Technus was in the area and Tucker had enough affection for the device to dub it "Baby" because of his heavy reliance on the device.

While Tucker was running a diagnostic program on Baby, Will was also acutely aware of the PDA for a different reason. Her Guardian powers allowed her to converse with electrical appliances beside the ones she owned and Tucker's PDA was, to her dismay, calling her out.

"_I see you there, huzzy_!" Baby hissed through electromagnetic fields unknown to regular people. "_Trying to catch my man's eye_! _You best step back, or I'll bust you one like you wouldn't believe_!"

Will wasn't the only one forced to endure Baby's rant; Hay Lin, Matt, June, Jake, Gwen and Ray Ray were hearing the PDA as well, Hay Lin and Gwen looking uncomfortable while June and Ray Ray were trying not to laugh. Yan Lin had warned her students about Will's ability and urged them not to react. Unseen by the magically endowed kids, Danny was frowning and cleaning out his ears with his pinkies, trying to figure out where the faint voice of the irate woman was coming from.

Hoping to mollify Baby's possessiveness, Will sat next to Matt and gave him a kiss on the cheek that immediately threw off his playing; Baby's final huff was lost in laughter as Matt made a wince-worthy chord when he fumbled his fingers. "You're killing his music career with your feminine wiles!" June joked, causing everyone to laugh even more except for a doubly-miffed Ben.

Spud was in the process of trying to replicate the Taj Mahal with his food-and having surprising success, the carrot sticks making excellent turrets-when he noticed Tucker rapidly punching his PDA with his stylus. Spud ate his monument to a monument in three bites and sat next to Tucker. "Having problem with the little lady, dude?"

Tucker grimaced as he nodded. "I think all the ghost disturbances in Amity Park have finally pushed Baby over the point of no return. I'm getting some crazy static for some reason; I don't think it's the LCD screen..."

"Self-diagnostic not helping?" Tucker shook his head. "Here, let my bad boy dance with your lady." Spud whipped out his Stacy-Tracking PDA with a flourish. "I designed a program that uses Wi-Fi to check up on and diagnose my other equipment. Should be a piece of cake to interface with yours and see what's all willy-nilly inside the filly!"

"You sure, man?" Tucker asked warily. "I don't want to burn out your drive with a glitch."

"No worries! I back up everything hourly to my laptop. Now, open wide, Baby!" Spud used the wireless connections of the PDAs to begin the examination. Almost immediately, Will and the other magically inclined people were assaulted with the sound of the two digital assistants' verbal battle.

"_Hey there, sweetness_!" the Stacy Tracker said to baby. "_You need a little TLC from Marco_?"

"_Keep your dirty file folders to your self_!" Baby retorted. "_We both know that red-headed tart over there-_" Will's eye twitched at the slander. "_-is the cause of my upsets_! _You just do what you gotta do and stay out of my hidden files_!"

"_Ah, come on now, Baby,_" Marco crooned. "_Let me do a little defrag on your bits to calm you down..._"

"_You stay the HELL away from my bits, you son of_..." Baby launched into an obscene tirade that had Ray Ray rolling on the floor laughing while Gwen and Hay Lin blushed fiercely. Danny wondered if his ghost powers had somehow corrupted his hearing as he discreetly covered his ears.

"Hate to say it," Tucker said as Baby's screen dissolved into angry static, "but I think it's getting worse." Will decided enough was enough and reached out with her powers to turn Baby off. "Huh? Maybe it's better that I leave it for now. Next time I see Technus I'm going to have him fix Baby before he tries to take over the world again."

"It must be rough with all those ghosts in your hometown," June said as she began her plan. "Danny Phantom must be pretty busy taking care of them."

_You have no idea_, Danny thought as he scratched Fu Dog's ears; he'd always wanted a dog, but it wasn't very safe for small animals-or teenagers, come to think of it-around FentonWorks. "Well, there haven't been as many problems lately. I think the ghosts know now they can't handle Phantom." Sam and Tucker rolled their eyes, but secretly conceded that Danny had really come along in his abilities since the accident.

"I love Danny's white hair!" Gwen intoned as her part in the scheme; the normally well-behaved girl found himself enjoying the subterfuge. "And he's so tough, even tougher than those alien heroes!" Gwen smirked when Ben stuck his tongue out at her.

"He's almost as cute as Eric," Hay Lin said, adding her part to the plan. "That's why it was weird when I saw you, Danny, it was like we had already met before. I'm almost as big a fan as Will-well, not _that_ big!" Will rolled her eyes and elbowed Matt when he snickered at her.

"Uh..." Danny wasn't sure what to say; the conversation was drifting dangerously close to the similarities between himself and his alter-ego. "Yeah, people have pointed that out to me a few times, but..." What was the excuse Sam came up with? "Well, Sam thinks it's kind of a joke. Lots of ghosts can change their shape, so we figure "Danny" Phantom has some weird sense of humor to disguise himself as the son of ghost hunters. I met him once at a fair and it was kinda weird, him and me face-to-face."

Even as June's plan was being set in motion, Team Phantom was enacting their own counter-plan. After their lunch at the _Silver Dragon_ Danny and his friends had concocted a contingency in case the others made any more connections; Tucker was able to get Baby back on (the PDA now much more respectful of Will) and show everyone a picture of Danny standing next to Danny Phantom. In reality it was actually Danny's two halves-human and ghost-that were split by one of his parents' inventions.

"There is a strong resemblance," Will admitted. "If it wasn't for this picture, you would think that you were the same guy, Danny." Her eyes darted to June for a split-second, the Te Xuan Ze still not looking convinced since Danny was best friends with an audio-visual geek.

Sam snorted. "Danny, a superhero? Right, and I'm head cheerleader for Casper High." Danny shot an honestly hurt expression at Sam before he realized she was trying to help, albeit by slightly slandering him.

"Really?" Hay Lin said. "Oh, wait... sarcasm. Sorry. I'm sure you'd make a great cheer-person, Sam." Sam mimicked tearing out her own heart at the thought of being in a cheer squad.

"I was in that world for a time," Trixie groused. "It's like the dang Mafia, they suck you in, mess with your head like the _Manchurian Candidate_..." She paused. "I rocked the uniform, though. Rocked it but_ good_."

"I'd like to see some pictures of that," Tucker said in the most honest statement of his entire life.

June was getting ready to do her big scene-the sudden onset of her "feminine" problem-when a sudden pain made her wince. Trying to identify the source of the pain, June's eyes widened when she realized where it was coming from. Her surprise and shock were doubled when she saw Gwen looking at her with equally wide eyes. Both pre-teens rose and stood tightly as they tried to figure out what to do. Will and Hay Lin looked at them with bewildered expression while Maddie Fenton happened to look into the living room. The more observant of the Fenton parents, she recognized what was going on from when Jazz was younger and rose from the table quickly.

"Something up, buttercup?" Jack said as he noticed his wife's worried look.

"Uhm..." Maddie bit her lip as she tried to figure out a way through one of her husband's rare moments of clarity.. "Yes... I need to visit the little scientist's room. Be back in a min-"

"Is something wrong with the girls?" Dean asked the other adults. Years of teaching had trained Dean to always keep an eye on the children nearby, both for his safety and theirs.

Maddie's impressive intellect searched for a way to spare the young girls-young women, she supposed-further embarrassment. "Uhm, Sue? Didn't you say your oven was acting up?"

Susan looked confused at the sudden attention, then looked at June and remembered a particular episode from Will's life. Realizing what was happening, Susan thought quickly and said, "Um, Jack, Dean? I hate to ask this, but since you two are here, I wonder if you could take a look at my... stove! It's been acting... funny lately." Susan tried to put on her best "damsel in distress" face and nearly gagged at the attempt.

Dean looked doubtful that he could do anything about Susan's stove while Jack was always eager to repair something he didn't break; Susan mouthed, "Bathroom" at Maddie when the men weren't looking. Maddie sent her a grateful look as she hurried into the living room, took Gwen and June gently by the shoulders and steered them towards the Vandoms' facilities.

Will and Hay Lin were still confused as to what was happening until Sam said to them, "Looks like we've got two more members in the Time of the Month Club."

"Oh!" Will winced. "I didn't even think... when that happened to me it was the middle of the night and I screamed so loud I woke up Mom." Will looked toward the bathroom and felt she should do something; after all, June was her friend and a guest in her home. Will saw Matt and Ben getting ready to leave the apartment and realized they had taken June's unintentional cue as a sign to head for the roof.

"My grandma helped me when it was my time," Hay Lin recollected. "She's always been there for me."

"Mine, too," Sam said, then laughed. "You guys were lucky! The only people who were around when I went menstrual were Danny and Tucker! They were so freaked they wouldn't speak to me for hours!"

"I never even told Spud and Jakey," Trixie added. "I figured they was some things Man was not meant to know, y'know? Hey, Spud, you want to help me with the dishes?"

"Not really," Spud said, then changed his mind when Trixie glared at him. "Uhm, yeah, sure. I could use the practice; I've been trying to break my record of thirty plates per minute."

"So long as you don't break any of Miss V's plates," Trixie warned. The two New Yorkers gathered up the empty plates and headed to the kitchen, playing their part in the plan to figure out if Fenton was Phantom. Will and Hay Lin's part was supposed to have been pretending to check up on the "ailing" June; Will was relieved that this was now something she wanted to do anyway and quickly excused herself and Hay Lin to check up on the younger girls. Sam considered joining them-feminine solidarity and all that-but figured the two preteens wouldn't appreciate a complete stranger bothering them at this point.

"Both at the same time... what are the odds?" Sam asked herself.

"You say something, Sam?" Danny asked as he wondered where everyone had gone to.

"Forget it," Sam said as she scratched Fu Dog's ears. Fu Dog got up and yawned, then went into the kitchen to see if he could get any scraps before the dishes were washed. "Men-even if they're dogs, they always leave when they're done with you."

Before Danny could leap to the defense of his gender a voice next to him said, "Ain't that the truth! My dad is a total A-hole, right Danny?"

Danny's eyes widened. "Danielle! What are you doing here?"

"Sorry," Dani's disembodied voice said; the younger halfa was invisible and floating next to her DNA donor. "I got bored. I saw you guys go into this building and thought I'd check in. Did you know the woman below this apartment has _dozens _of cats? That can't be healthy. Oh, hey, Tucker, Sam. How's it hanging?"

"It's going good," Tucker said. "I heard you kept freezing Danny this afternoon?"

"Total accident!" Dani defended. "I've got the hang of my freezing now-more or less. I didn't _want_ to turn Danny into a Fenton-sicle!"

"Don't worry about it, kid," Sam said. "As many times as we've been on the receiving end of Danny's power practices it's about time he got some karmic payback."

Danny was about to protest again when Dani cut him off again. "Yes! _Sumo Slammers _is on! Turn it up!" Danny found the Vandom's remote and obliged his cloned cousin. "It's a new episode, sweet!" A small indention formed on the couch cushion next to Danny, the only visible evidence that Danielle was becoming a couch potato.

Danny knew it was risky for Danielle to be in Will's apartment, but he couldn't bring himself to tell her to leave; she had a difficult life and he didn't have the heart to deny her a simple pleasure like watching a cartoon. "Just try to keep it down," he told Danielle. "We'll be in the kitchen, okay?"

"Sure thing!" Dani whispered. Danny, Tuck and Sam took their plates into the kitchen to wash them. "I'm a ghost, right? I'm all about the stealth!"

* * *

On the roof of Will's apartment building Matt and Ben were looking over the small concrete safety wall several floors above the Vandoms' apartment. "There's Will's window right there," Matt said. "I know because it's got that dead plant on it she always forgets to water." Matt looked at the extension cord in his hand. "Are you sure you want to climb down this? It looks way too small..."

A green flash of light caused Matt to jump a foot in the air and a second later Grey Matter leapt onto the edge of the roof. "_I know_," Grey Matter said at Matt's surprised look. "_I'm awesome_." Matt lowered the extension cord to the window and the tiny alien began to slide down; thought the alien Galvan could have used its sticky hands and feet to climb the wallon its own, the cord allowed it to move quickly and and within a few seconds Ben was outside the window.

"_Now to show Mr. Rock Star how a real hero does it!_" Grey Matter crowed silently as he hopped onto the window seal and scanned the living room. "_What?! Where is everyone, I-_"His spying mission already thwarted, Grey Matter caught sight of the television. "_The new episode_! _Sweet_! _Since I'm already here_..." The tiny alien leapt onto the arm of the couch and sat with fists clenched in excitement as the animated warriors clashed onscreen, as oblivious to Dani's presence on the couch as she was to his.

A few minutes of animated anarchy passed before the show cut to the sponsors who wanted to sell toys and gadgets to _Sumo Slammers_' demographic. "Stupid commercials!" Dani muttered. "Like I could buy any of that stuff!"

"_I know_!" Grey Matter sympathized. "_I'm too old for those things anyway... except maybe for excellent air pressure-powered water projectile launcher_." Deep within Grey Matter's intellect Ben was picturing himself firing the water gun he had seen at Gwen.

"It is very cool," Dani agreed. Alien and ghost girl stared at the TV for several seconds before their eyes widened and they looked at each other. Dani saw the small humanoid sitting next to her while Grey Matter's alien eyes perceived enough of Dani to thoroughly freak him out. "Yikes!" Dani flew from her seat and hovered near the ceiling.

"_Yow_!" Grey Matter leapt back the window. "_Who are you?!_"

Before Dani could answer June, Gwen and Maddie came back into the living room. The two girls were feeling better and thought that their "diversion" turning real was pretty funny in a trenches-humor sort of way. "Thanks a bunch, Mrs. Fenton," June said with more gratitude than she had ever felt to another human being. "_Really_"

"Yeah," Gwen agreed shakily; it had taken all of her will power to keep her magical aura from activating and the effort had exhausted the young Tennyson.

"Don't mention it, girls," Maddie said as she rubbed Gwen's back, a gesture she had done with her own children when they were upset. "I know it must be difficult to be so far from your mothers at a time like this, but you two handled it really well."

"Well, I am a Tennyson," Gwen groused. "We're pretty good at handling the unexpected."

Maddie smiled at the statement. "I know what you mean, dear... I need to check on something, will you girls be okay?" June and Gwen nodded and Maddie went back into the kitchen.

"I'm so embarrassed!" Gwen groused. "For this to happen here..."

"But it was a great distraction," June said with a smirk. "Sure as heck distracted me!"

"Yeah, I... Ben?" Gwen had spotted her cousin hiding behind the potted plant on the open window. "Aren't you supposed to be..."

"_The couch_!" Grey Matter hissed at the girls.

Gwen glanced at the apparently empty furniture. "What about it?"

"_It's... it's _alive!"

"Wow," Gwen said in awe. "You have finally lost your mind, haven't you?"

"_I'm serious_! _I was sitting there watching TV when it _spoke to me!" Dani realized this was probably a good time to be somewhere else, but she didn't want to leave her cousin with the strange creature and almost-as-strange girls.

June walked over to the couch and inspected it thoroughly, having learned to expect any and everything when she became Te Xuan Ze. "Doesn't look enchanted," June said, waving her leather wristband along the seat of the couch; the pink jewel in the band didn't react, strongly indicating Will's couch wasn't magical in the slightest. "Maybe it was a minor spirit or ..."

"_GHOST_!" Grey Matter cried, pointing at Danielle. June and Gwen looked at where he was pointing but saw nothing; Dani was seriously beginning to consider vacating the premises when she caught sight of a dark shape behind Grey Matter. "Look out!" Dani cried, but only confused the other kids with her disembodied voice.

Grey Matter was still staring at Dani when the powerful talons wrapped around his minuscule frame and yanked him from the window. Ben gave a pitiful shriek as the owl flew away with it's first catch of the night. Gwen and June ran to the window while Danielle phased through the walls to pursue the bird; whatever the little creature was, it was a Sumo Slammers fan and Dani Phantom couldn't stand by while a fellow enthusiast was in danger.

"Ben..." Gwen said, trying to keep from yelling out her cousin's name. The owl was too far away for her magic spells and she was too tired to try anything without endangering everyone in the apartment; Gwen felt more powerless than she had when facing Vilgax.

"I'm on it!" June bounded onto the window sill and perched with unnatural ease. She sighted the owl and the direction it was taking the transformed Tennyson. then pushed off against the building and went soaring across the street, raven hair flying behind her like dark wings. A stunned Gwen watched as June cleared the distance to a smaller building across from Will's and landed on the roof, then took to running and jumping from roof-top to roof-top in pursuit of the bird of prey.

Gwen was still staring out the window when Monroe walked into the living room and asked, "Oy, Gwendolyn, have you seen June?" Gwen stared at the pug, then pointed at the window. "Ach, that's predictable as the sunrise. Thanks, Lass." Monroe went back into the kitchen to see of the Fenton man would share anymore of his food, leaving Gwen to wonder if she would see her stupid cousin again.

* * *

Author's Note: Jake knows Spidey? How is that possible? All will be explained in Both Sides of the Horizon, an AmDrag-centered NTY fic set in New York. Matt's line about Static is a little in-joke about him and Richard "Gear" Foley from Static Shock sharing Jason Marsden as a voice actor. First time I heard Matt speak: "_Richie_?"

Seriously, who _wouldn't_ want Rob Zombie to do a cover version of "My Heart Will Go On?"

Just thought I'd give the ages of the various characters for reference. These are guess-timates from episodes mentioned:

**Will - 14 (Confirmed thirteen in "Happy Birthday, Will" and the whole series takes place around a year and a half. The other Guardians are likely from 13-14, Will is the oldest in the comics.)**

**Danny, Sam and Tucker - likely 15-16**

**Danielle - Physically 12, chronologically six months to one year.**

**June - 11-12**

**Ben - 10-nyson ^_^**

**Gwen - Either 10 or eleven since she and Ben were born on the same day. If Ben was older, he'd probably rub it in at some point.**

**Caleb - Likely 16-17 (Confirmed fifteen in "It Resumes.")**

**Jake, Trixie and Spud - 15 at least (All three graduated middle school in "Being Human.")**

**Jazz - 17-18**

**Jack - likely mid-forties chronologically, ten years old mentally.**

**Fu and Monroe - 600+ and feeling it. (And that's just in human years, agoo!)**

**Blunk - Crap if I know. He's still a Mama's Boy, though.**

**Evencio "Corpsey" Gestard - ?**

**Urn of Belak - Freakin' ancient.**

**koolkame - Too old to be watching these cartoons! Grow up, man!**

**The candy bar in Spud's pocket - Expired in 2006.**

Okay, I think I need to stop with the ages. If I got anything wrong please don't hesitate to tell me. June and Gwen's situation occurred for one reason: I want them to talk about it when they appear in my DJINN stories. I'm really thinking that far ahead, I can't help it. Like this:

_Many years from now_...

GWEN: Hey, June, remember when Mother Nature "promoted" us the summer we met?

JUNE: Yeah, and Ben had no idea what was going on?

BEN: I didn't... UNTIL YOU TOLD ME!

GWEN: It wasn't that bad...

BEN: DIAGRAMS! You used diagrams... oh, god... you scarred me for life, you know that?

GWEN: Is that why you're still the Big V, Ben?

BEN: ...

JUNE: ...

GWEN: What? What's up with you two?


	10. It's Hero Time!

Author's Note: _I LIVE_!!!

Because it's been a while, uh... here's a new chapter. Thanks for keeping the faith and/or bugging me about updating. I know it shows you care.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Hero Time! 

* * *

"_Let me go_!" Greymatter howled at the owl as it carried him off into the night. "_Do I look like a mouse_?!" The owl was apparently unmoved by Grey Matter's insults and ignored its squawking prey. "_That was a rhetorical question_! _I know you're a stupid bird_! _A _hungry, _stupid bird..."_

Ben hated, _hated_ this part of his Grey Matter morph; everything either wanted to eat him or step on him. It had been several minutes since his abduction from Will's apartment and Grey Matter's super-intelligent mind was counting the nano-seconds until his estimated time of reversion into Ben Tennyson; with his possible 1.367895 minutes left in the morph and the several stories of altitude the owl was flying at, the last thing Ben wanted to be was himself.

Postulating that he would survive a fall more easily as Grey Matter than his human self (a 5.76585685 percent chance was better than zero, after all), Ben began to urge the owl to drop him with more physical means than shouting. "_You asked for this_!" he told the owl, then sank his pointed teeth into the bird's clawed feet.

The owl utterly ignored the assault and kept on flying, even as Ben continued to gnaw on the bird's feet. "_Mmfuh mufuhfum_!" Ben threatened murderously. As the time to his reversion reached 3.7 seconds Grey Matter ceased his oral assault and swallowed nervously.

With a red flash the owl was suddenly gripping the short collar of an eighty-pound human. It shrieked shrilly as both of them dropped out of the sky, its talons tearing a strip out of Ben's shirt straight down his spine. The bird of prey regained its bearing and flew on while Ben haplessly plummeted to the earth. "Whoooooooaaaa!"

Ben _hated_ Grey Matter. _Really _hated it.

* * *

June wasn't in a great mood and even though she had a good (and slightly stereotypical) reason for it, she still felt like hitting something.

Not only had Nature had given her a swift kick in the butt this evening, but her ingenious plan to get the scoop on Fenton had gone horribly wrong, all because of an owl and a girl that wasn't there. She hoped that Gwen and the others could handle whatever "she" was while she saved Ben from what was likely to be his second fall today. June vowed to give the Tennyson boy a levitation charm as a gift to say "I don't want you to be street pizza."

The nearly complete sunset was making it hard to spot the owl and the struggling Grey Matter; June's eyesight was good, but it was not as superhuman as the rest of her. It was almost a relief when the bright red light signaled Ben's transformation back-until she realized what it meant. June quickly did the mental geometry that told her the lines that represented Ben's fall and her pursuit might not intersect in time to save Gwen's cousin. June put all she could into her pumping legs and increased her speed until she was zipping across the roof-tops like a sugar-rushed squirrel.

But she wasn't going to make it-and neither was Ben.

But Danielle was and did. The Phantom girl had been following June and the owl since they left Danny's friend's apartment-after freaking out when June had jumped through the window, though the Chinese girl seemed to handle the fall rather well. Both of Ben's saviors had kept up with the owl, trying to find an opportunity to snatch the little person out of its claws. Unfortunately, animals could sense ghosts and halfas even when they were invisible and the owl had gone to great lengths to avoid Dani's grasping hands by zig-zagging across the Heatherfield skyline that went unnoticed by Ben and frustrated June and Dani to no end.

Dani was momentarily stunned when Ben reverted to his human form and he was almost halfway to the ground when she dropped like an invisible rock after him. Ben was just below the tree line when she caught up to him, his arms crossed over his eyes to shield his view of the inevitable impact. Danielle grabbed his ankles and reversed the direction of her flight, straining against the effects of gravity and inertia and shifting back into view from the effort.

At the last second she arrested Ben's fall and the Tennyson boy felt the soft brush of the grass on his arms instead of the hard ground of the lot he nearly met on very bad terms. Realizing he was still intact, Ben peeked out from behind his arms and stared at the ground. As he wondered how the Tennyson luck had saved him this time, Danielle asked him, "Are you okay?"

Ben looked up at Dani, a pretty girl with glowing green eyes and angelic white hair that shone in the fluorescent streetlights, and found himself unable to respond. If he wasn't hanging upside down, his jaw would have dropped. "Hey, are you ok!?" Dani repeated. "Did something get knocked loose?"

Before Ben could find his voice, June landed in the lot and rose into a fighting stance. "Put him down!" she ordered Dani; a strong order was the best way to take control of the situation, Te Xuan Ze Rule No. 23.

Danielle looked confused instead of intimidated. "On his head?" she asked.

"No, I..." June tried to find a better way to phrase her orders. "Just lower him slowly to... to the ground." It was so much easier when your opponent chose _not _to cooperate. Dani obliged and lowered Ben until his shoulders touched the ground, then landed herself until Ben was laying flat on his back. She backed up as June bounded over in a single hop, keeping her eyes on Danny even as she asked Ben, "Are you alright?"

Ben, always quick to rebound after a near-death situation, sat up and said, "I'm awesome, actually... ow!" June had smacked him lightly on the top of his head. "Hey! What was that for!?

"Sorry," June said with an embarrassed grin; Ben had sounded similar to Ray Ray after a close call. "Habit." She looked at Dani. "I'm guessing you're the 'talking couch.' So what exactly were you doing in Will's apartment?"

"No, please, you don't have to gush," Dani replied as she held up her hands. "I don't need any thanks for saving your boyfriend's life."

"Hey!" Ben said as he stood up. "She's not my girlfriend!"

June briefly considering whacking him again, but had to concede that both he and Dani had a point. "Sorry. Thanks for catching Tennyson here. But you need to explain what you were doing in someone else's home. I really doubt you're Will's imaginary friend."

Dani chuckled before answering. "Oh... yeah, well... I was watching _Sumo Slammers_ when Ben and I scared each other to death. Then the owl grabbed him." Dani figured that was the truth and didn't need elaborating. "I didn't take anything, it's not like I could hide much in this outfit." She shook the baggy sleeves of her jumpsuit to emphasize its lack of pockets.

June had noticed Dani's distinctive jumpsuit already, especially the stylized D on her torso. "If you're Danny Phantom, you must have some serious work done lately."

Dani giggled again at June's dead-pan quip; she was a lot like Danny's sort-of girlfriend Sam. "No, Danny's my cousin. I'm Danielle, Danielle Phantom. A different Dani Phantom, obviously."

"I'm Ben and this is June," Ben introduced himself and the Te Xuan Ze eagerly. "We're superheroes, too." A pause. "I've saved the world a few times."

"Cool!" Dani said, apparently finding no reason to doubt Ben; maybe it was because Ben had an honest face or, as Gwen and Max could attest, his left eye twitched noticeably when he fibbed. "Well, I gotta go. Sorry if I spooked you guys, but it was..." Dani was interrupted by a shrill noise wafting across the abandoned lot. Ben thought that Gwen had caught up with them and was berating him before he realized it was an electronic alarm. "Uh oh... it sounds like it's coming from across the street. Let me check it out."

Dani turned invisible and rose several meters into the air until she was above the glare of the streetlights. Her glowing green eyes gave her excellent night-vision and she was able to discern what was causing the alarm in great detail. Floating back down to the ground, she turned visible again and told June and Ben what she had seen. "About two-dozen guys in weird armor are holding up one of those check-cashing places. They're melting through the safe with some beam-wand thing-eys and this bald guy is shouting at them. If you guys are really superheroes we should do something about this."

"Alright, let's do it!" Ben said with grin, then looked at the timed-out Omnitrix. "Ah, after my watch recharges..."

June shook her head. "Please tell me it's not who I think it is... I've got this one, guys. I think it's some of my old headaches doing the larceny." She started running toward the purloined business.

"Hey!" Dani said. "I want to kick some butt, too!" She took off after Juniper, leaving Ben in the figurative and literal dust from the pre-teen femme fatales_._

"Why do you always mess up in front of girls?" Ben asked the Omnitrix as he ran after them. "Are you _programmed_ to make me look like a dork?"

_No, Ben_, he could practically hear Gwen say in a snarky voice, _that's your doofus-ness acting up again_. Ben groaned aloud; even when Gwen was blocks away, she was still harping on him.

* * *

The prices of motel rooms were ridiculous these days, Lex thought.

No, _knew_. The remnants of H.A.M. had tried to purchase rooms for the night only to find that not only did they not have enough money, but the management had strict rules about how many bodies were allowed to a room. After a few choice words that barely moved the bored receptionist, Lex and crew had piled into their rented/borrowed mini-vans to search for new lodgings. After three more rejections Lex's patience had finally snapped and he brought the lead mini-van to a halt-causing the mini behind to rear-end his own, thereby losing the security deposit-and instructed his men to knock over the first business they saw.

After some extreme reluctance about holding up a children's restaurant called Pizza-N-Play (H.A.M. may have been magical creature-hating extremists, but-in their minds-they weren't child-scaring monsters) Lex shifted their target to a loan service with a large vault further down the street. Using their advanced technology to locate the surveillance camera and cut the line that connected to the security company, Lex thought things were going fairly well... and then _she_ showed up. With help.

"Hey Shiny!" June called out as she landed in the street behind them. "I see the job hunt isn't going well! What, you couldn't get a gig selling cleaning supplies?" Dani had also arrived and was staring wide-eyed at the H.A.M. members in their thick armor; these guys were very different from the ghosts she'd fought against with Danny.

Mindful of his blood pressure, Lex tried to count to ten before turning to face the Te Xuan Ze. He got to four. "It's a tough market, Juniper. But my calling will always be destroying the creatures that selfishly hoard magic's secrets for themselves!" Lex touched the scar that ran over his ruined eye for emphasis, damaged by his disastrous dalliance with magic.

"That's a pretty good opening line," June admitted. "Must have took you a while to think it up."

"It was a long trip!" Lex growled. His mechanical arm shifted its atomic structure until it was shaped into a four-foot long plasma cannon. Lex aimed his weapon at Juniper as his subordinates readied their plasma wands to join in the assault. "But if I can remove the Te Xuan Ze from my life, well, it was more than worth the gas!"

"Yeesh," Dani said. "And I thought my 'dad' was melodramatic."

"I'm here!" Ben said as he arrived on the scene, still fiddling with the red Omnitrix. "What'd I mi... whoa." Ben had seen Lex's cannon-arm. "I saw that in a video game."

"So are we going to do this, Lex?" June asked as she casually inspected her nails. "Or are you finally becoming smarter than you look?"

"Oh, we're doing this..." Lex growled as he sighted his arm on June. "_We are so doing this_!" Lex's plasma arm began to whine as it built up a charge, then fired a energy blast at Juniper.

June dropped into a crouch as the plasma flashed over her head and blew up a dumpster, then launched herself twenty feet through the air to where Lex was standing. Spinning in mid-air, she twisted her body and landed a kick on Lex's armored chest. The fanatic was sent flying from the impact and slammed into one of the doors of the business he was attempting to rob, the glass shattering as Lex's armor was wedged into the door frame. The rest of H.A.M. stared goggle-eyed-literally-as their leader struggled to extricate himself from the door.

"Idiots!" Lex howled as he tried to remove his cannon-arm from a very uncomfortable position against his person. "Attack! Get her!" The H.A.M. member turned their plasma wands toward June who simply smiled as she got ready to perform her favorite duty as Te Xuan Ze.

Several of the H.A.M.s were hit by ecto-plasmic beams before they could fire on June and sent flying into the building next to Lex. "Hey, I could use some attention, too!" Dani complained as she aimed her glowing hands at the remaining enemies. She dodged their return fire and sent some more ecto-blasts as she wove through the air, clearly enjoying herself as much as June was.

Ben ducked behind some trash cans to avoid the stray plasma shots and began hitting the Omnitrix with his fist. "Come on, come on, _come on_! Work, you stupid..." The device turned green again. "Yes! Thank you!" Ben hit the activation button and began searching through the device's memory. "This looks like a job for Cannon Bolt!" Ben brought his hand down on the face to start the metamorphosis, realizing at the last second that the silhouette on the watch face was not the rotund alien that was invulnerable while rolling, but instead was... "No! Not..."

June registered the green flash out of the corner of her eye as she leapt at the back of a H.A.M. She pushed at the man's shoulders with her feet and sent him sprawling into two others. Flipping through the air with supernatural ease, she landed near Ben and said, "Okay, Tennyson, show the cute ghost girl your..." June did a double-take. "Moves?"

Ben blinked at June's surprised face, then looked at his hands. The long green fingers ended in patches of white fur on the back of his palms. The thought of "hair" made Ben clasp his head where he found his usual brown haircut in place, but his ears were pointed. Ben looked down at his torso and found his favorite shirt was now a hooded tunic that fit snugly over his small body. His pants and shoes were made of a loose, black material with Omnitrix symbol at the center of his equally black belt, but it wasn't his apparel that caused Ben such dismay.

He looked at June with wide yellow eyes with sickly green pupils and said in a graveled but high-pitched voice, "Ben not Cannon Bolt, Ben _Smelt It_!"

June had time to think, _And dealt it_, before a hail of plasma fire came flying their way. June scooped up Ben in her arms and rolled to the side, gagging all the way from his body odor that was a near-match for Blunk's. She hit the ground with Smelt It tucked to her chest, then rose and started running as more plasma blasts began to track her.

"Ben sorry!" Smelt It wailed in her arms. "Ben not want to be Blunk, really!"

"Okay! I get it!" June said as she leapt onto one H.A.M.'s shoulder and started skipping from assailant to assailant like rocks in a pond. Her Ah-Mah had taught her to use unusual tactics to confuse her opponents and she definitely needed the time to figure out this new problem. "Dani! Need some cover!"

"Got it!" Dani accessed her freezing powers and sent a spray of ice-cold ectoplasm from her hands to the main group of H.A.M., trapping seven of the extremists in thin but sturdy icy cocoons. "So _cool_!"

"Punny!" June added as ducked behind a small wall and set Ben/Smelt It down. "Okay, Ben, we need a plan."

Ben nodded with a determined look on his wrinkled face, then his eyes widened in horror at something behind June. June's own eyes widened and she turned to see the metal gauntlet that slammed into her face.

Ben shrieked and threw his arms into the air in surprise even as he told himself to _attack_!... then Smelt It turned and ran back into the street in terror. _What... what the heck_?! Ben thought. _Why am I running!? It's like I can't control Smelt It_! _Oh, man, I _knew_ this "hero" was a zero_!

Dani noticed June was down just as Lex broke free of the door. She blasted the H.A.M. that had knocked June down and dodged another shot from Lex's cannon as Ben ran underneath her. The halfa wasted half a second being confused at Smelt It's screaming and gesturing before firing back at Lex, who showed surprising agility for a man that was currently half cannon by dodging her blast and firing another of his own that nearly took Dani's head off. "Yow! It's almost like you're _trying_ to hit me!" Dani mocked. Lex's only response was to roar in rage as he fired again and again.

June shook her head to clear it-being sucker-punched by a metal fist wasn't enough to injure the Te Xuan Ze-and casually upper-cutted her stunned sucker-puncher over the wall. Jumping at another H.A.M. June pushed off of his armor with both feet and sent him flying into a post box, used the momentum from the double kick to propel herself to another H.A.M. on whom she repeated the motion, then did it three more times to three more unlucky H.A.M.s before landing on Lex's cannon arm.

"Can I borrow this?," June asked a surprised Lex as she grabbed a component of his cannon arm and ripped it out in a shower of sparks. June hopped off the cannon arm as the sparks grew in intensity and a clearly panicking Lex tried to remove his cannon arm now that the power stabilizer was in June's hand. With a loud _click_ the cannon arm came off and Lex was running for cover before it even hit the ground. June and Dani took the hint, June jumping over a parking lot wall while Dani just phased through it. They hunkered down next to a trembling Smelt It and covered their ears.

The actual explosion was very quiet as the fusion batteries in the cannon arm reached their capacity and failed spectacularly to contain the quasi-mystical energies. The fireball lit up the area like a streak of extended lightning and sent a concussive wave of a abused air that cracked windows up and down the street. The H.A.M.s were protected by their dragon-fire tested armor while Dani threw up an ecto-plasmic dome around herself and her fellow crime fighters.

The explosion only lasted a second before finishing up with a classic mushroom cloud in the middle of the street that quickly dissipated in the hot summer air. The hammered H.A.M.s groaned as they lifted themselves off the ground, Lex trying to remove himself from the garbage receptacle he had plunged into to save his unprotected face. The kids were still under Dani's protective dome with their eyes squeezed shut until they dared to look around.

"Are we dead?" Danielle asked as her dome disappeared.

"Well, you're the only one that's a ghost," June said, tossing Lex's power stabilizer into a nearby trash can. "So I guess not."

"Oh, good. Cool explosion!"

"Ben not like booms!" Smelt It said as he wrung his hands. "_Scary_!"

June rolled her eyes as she rose to glance over the wall they'd hidden behind and chuckled when she saw the H.A.M.s helpintog Lex out of the trash can. Lex tried to stand straight and compose himself-a difficult task with day old baked beans attached to his bald skull-and said, "The authorities will be here soon... to the minivans!" June snorted with laughter at Lex's command as the H.A.M.s hobbled away. When they were out of sight June said to Dani and Ben, "They're gone. Nice work, guys."

"That was fun!" Dani gushed. "And my ice powers worked great! I didn't even freeze you guys! I was a little worried that might happen."

Smelt It groaned and dropped his head between his reedy knees. "Ohhhhhh..."

"It's okay, Ben," Dani said as she started to put her arm around the stinky Smelt It, then reconsidered and gave him a pat on the shoulder instead. "Fights can be rough at first..."

"Ben not scared!" Smelt It shouted. The Passling sprang to his feet and started to pace around the lot, waving his arms erratically. "Ben been in _lots_ of fights! Ben fight aliens, bad aliens! Ben even beat Vilgax! _Smelt It_ no good! It get scared and run, Ben not able to stop!" Smelt It groaned and hung his head. "Ben _sucks_."

"Now, now," June said in what she hoped sounded like her Ah-Mah's comforting voice. "Ben does not... you do not suck, okay? I've had some experience with shape shifting and any time you go changing your brain chemistry around something is bound to mess with your personality. And Blunk was scared to death of Jake, remember? Passlings seem to have the fear gene in spades, that's not your fault."

Smelt It shrugged. "Ben... I remember..." The faux Passling rolled his eyes and grinned. "Jake almost scary as _Gwen_." He gave a snorting laugh that blasted the two girls with rancid breath; Dani gagged as she remembered why Ben's new form smelled so familiar, it was similar to the thing in the dumpster behind the restaurant. The name "Blunk" had been mentioned by the creature as it ran off which meant... honestly, Dani didn't know _what_ it meant. Heatherfield was a surprisingly strange place.

The sound of sirens in the distance shook the three heroes from their pep talks and speculation. "We need to get going," June said. "Come on, Ben. You can piggy-bank with me to Will's apartment. I don't think Smelt It is built for speed. Heh, built for _stink_ is more like it." Ben chuckled at the observation; June was a lot more fun than his cousin.

"It was fun kicking butt with you guys," Dani said as she lifted off the ground. "I'll be in town a few days, maybe I'll see you around?"

"We'd like that," June replied. "Right, Ben?"

"Smelt It nodded his head furiously. "Yeah, yeah! Got much better aliens than this! Trade?" Ben cocked his head to the side in confusion.. "Where that come from?"

Dani shook her head and grinned. "Catch ya later!" She turned invisible and flew off into the night and back to her meadow. Even after such a long and adventurous day Dani was looking forward to a relaxing flight with her cousin... at least until she got bored and they engaged in a mock ectoplasmic blast battle.

June watched the seemingly empty sky for a second before she turned to Ben. "Okay, time to board the Te Xuan Ze express." She held her hands behind her back with her palms up so Ben could hop up, which he did after some reluctance. "What, you worried about my cooties?"

"No..." Ben swallowed loudly. Whenever he was Grey Matter he had no problem riding on Gwen's head or her shoulder, but that was... well, that was _Gwen_. As much they tried to deny it, they were family and that made it easy for Ben to... _interact_ with Gwen. Okay, _torment_ Gwen, but still...

"Hang on," June warned as she readied to take to the rooftops. "And try not to look down, that always makes Ray queasy." With a slight push of her legs June landed on the rooftop of the building next to them. "Here we go!" With that she began running across the buildings.

"Weeeeeeee!" Smelt It cried at the thrilling ride through the Heatherfield skyline; inwardly, Ben was raging at the ridiculous batch of instincts his newest form dumped on him. _Congratulations, Grey Matter, you're now the _second _lamest hero in the watch_! _Huzzah_.

* * *

"So what do you like to do?" Will asked Danny as the the kids reclined in the living room. With all the seats filled Will, Danny and Jake had graciously taken to the floor so the others could have a chair or the couch. Will felt it was her duty as a host while Jake had given his seat to Hay Lin and received a kiss on the cheek as a reward. Danny, however, had been asked by Sam to give up his seat for her and his snarky reply was, "Make me."

She did. The other girls cheered at the display of female empowerment as Sam used a wrestling hold to "coerce" him onto the floor. Sam had smiled and shrugged off Danny's weak glare from his new position despite his protests that he "was only kidding."

"Do?" Danny said in response to Will's question. "You mean like a hobby?"

"Danny's a masochist," Sam said with a grin. "That's why he makes me hurt him so often."

Danny took the brief laughter in stride and shrugged. "Well, besides playing games and hanging out with Sam and Tuck most of my free time is just helping my parents in the lab or dealing with ghost attacks... like everybody else in Amity Park does, I mean. What about you?"

"Oh, I'm on the Sheffield swim team," Will said proudly. "I love to swim, almost as much as Irma does. What about you, Jake? What do you have going on in New York?"

"Ah, you know," Jake said with a wave of his hand. "Grandpa's always calling me to work at his shop, but I board whenever I get a chance. Me, Trix and Spud are always on wheels if we can help it."

"Oh! Oh!" Hay Lin interjected. "They're really good! On the way over here Uriah and his goons stole my purse, but Jake and his friends totally schooled them! Whoo! It was like watching a movie." Jake and his friends basked in the praise the others heaped on them for their heroism.

Ray Ray, curious in a way that surpassed the proverbial deceased cat, had pulled out a photo album from a shelf and was flipping through it. Mostly he saw pictures of Will and her mother and stuff, but his eyes widened when he saw a particular picture. Gwen noticed him grinning ear to ear and had to ask, "What's so funny, Ray Ray?"

"Check _this_ out!" Ray Ray said as he handed the photo album to Gwen, who examined the page he indicated and twisted her head in examination. Her eyes widened as she started giggling.

"Gwen? Everything okay?" Hay Lin asked, feeling protective of the young girl after all that had happened. Everyone had noticed at that point and gathered around the young Tennyson. "Oh, how cute, baby pictures! That looks like Will and... oh... _oh..._" Hay Lin began giggling herself.

"What?" Will asked as she peeked over Gwen's shoulder. "Is that the frog costume photo 'cause... oh, crap." Will's deadpan declaration was at the sight of a photo of her three-year-old self and a young boy in a bathtub-and completely in the buff, of course. Will was gripping the wrist of the boy as both of them grinned at the camera like they didn't have a care in the world.

"Who's the other kid?" Danny asked even as realized who it was and echoed Will in his deadpan statement of, "That's me, isn't it?" Sam and Tucker exploded into laughter at the look on Danny's face, which was just as red as Will's.

"Hey, Matt!" Sam asked gleefully. "Want to see a picture of your girlfriend naked?" Matt had the right idea to look horribly embarrassed at the request.

"I'm destroying this as soon as possible," Will said in a dangerously calm voice. " Completely and utterly, before it ends up in the school yearbook."

"I think it's adorable!" Hay Lin said. "Look at little Danny's cute nose!" Danny unconsciously felt for his nose and mentally compared.

"Enjoy it while you can," Will warned, "because it's going into Rip... my mom's shredder right now." Will was reaching for the picture when her mother called her and Danny into the kitchen. "Rats... I'll be right back."

"Tucker," Sam asked quietly as soon as Will and Danny were out of hearing range, "Do you have that portable scanner on you?"

Tucker gave a _huff_ of irritation. "Please... you may as well as ask if I still have my eyes." Tucker dug in his red backpack and pulled out one of his many electronic devices. Taking the photo from Sam he placed it in the scanner and pressed a button, saving the image through Wi-Fi to his PDA and dooming Danny and Will to years of ridicule. "There. Even if they trash the original we're got'em!"

"Can you send it to my email address?" Hay Lin asked.

"Sure, but it's going to be posted on Danny's MySpace page, anyway."

"Danny let you know his password?" Jake asked. "You must be tight."

"Oh, no way he'd _give _me his password..."

In the kitchen Danny and Will were subjected to the sight of their mothers cozily sitting in the laps of their husband and boyfriend with the men's arms wrapped around them; apparently their adult discussion had became extremely casual while their kids had been hanging out. Danny gave his parents a resigned eye roll-he firmly doubted they had any capacity for embarrassment at this point-while Will looked at her parent and teacher like they had morphed into an alien monstrosity, which was saying something considering how often Will dealt with alien monstrosities.

Susan and Dean seemed acutely aware of the awkwardness of the situation even as Susan smiled at her daughter and said, "Having fun, dear?"

"Yeah... looks like we all are," Will said with a smirk at her mother that caused Susan to flush. "What's up?"

"Well, we were just talking about the convention opening tomorrow and how you always say science is your favorite subject..." Will wasn't surprised that Susan was worried about her schooling in the middle of summer, the woman was obsessed with her grades. "Maybe after Dean and I leave you can stay with the Fentons? I know the three of us were going on a dinner date together, but since you kept trying to get out of it..."

"Hey!" Will protested. "I wasn't trying to skip on you guys, it's just that you keep bringing me along even though I know you want to be alone. I know you're trying to include me and all, but geez... even I can see the subtext."

Dean and Susan looked surprised at Will's reasoning even as Jack belly-laughed. "She's yours, Susie! Even if she got Tony's hair it's your brain under it! You always pointed things out like that in college and no one could argue with you, drove Vladdy _nuts_ every time you proved him wrong!"

"_And how_..." Danny added in a low whisper.

"I'd love to spend the afternoon with you guys," Will told the Fentons. "I really do like science, even if I'm not a genius like Danny probably is."

"Ha!" Jack belly-laughed again, nearly throwing his wife off his lap. "Did you hear that, sweetie? She thinks our son's a genius!"

"Danny is a very bright young man," Maddie protested. "He just hasn't found his calling yet and it's not like he has to be a scientist or a ghost-hunter. Once he decides what he wants to do I know he'll excel at it."

"I do want to be an astronaut," Danny interjected as cheerily as he could; inside he was slightly seething at his parents' view of him; it was particularly galling as he'd captured and fought more ghosts than they could ever hope to. As for his future plans, Danny was pretty sure he'd be ghost-hunting until the day he became a full ghost himself, maybe even after that.

"That's a nice dream, son," Jack said in a slightly patronizing tone. "But don't you think you should be a little more realistic?"

Danny stared at his father in blatant surprise. This was the same man who'd claimed that ghosts existed for years before anyone in Amity Park had actually believed in them, before his own _children _believed in them, who had adamantly stated his belief in Santa Claus despite his wife's insistence otherwise and who at one point configured the sensors of the Fenton Ops Center to scan for the Tooth Fairy after he got a wisdom tooth pulled. And _Danny_ was the unrealistic one? "That's what I want to do, Dad," Danny said in a hardening voice.

"Well, yeah, I guess... but you have to be good in math to be one of those and, well, son, you've got a lot of room to improve in that area..."

"Which he has plenty of time to," Maddie said quickly. Her husband was never the best with words and often she had to cover for him in conversation. "We just wanted to see if it was okay with Will. You can go back to your friends now."

"Thanks, Mrs Fenton, I'm sure it will be fun," Will said. She and Danny headed back to living room, their son fighting to keep a frown from erupting on his face.

When they were out of sight Maddie slapped her husband on the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"We should be supportive of Danny in everything he does," Maddie told her husband. "No matter what. Honestly, Jack, you need to think before you say anything, you know how teenagers are."

"She's right, Jack," Susan agreed. "Even if they'll always be our babies, they won't stay kids forever; one day they'll probably be taking care of us. Is everything okay, Dean? You look worried."

Dean shrugged. "I don't know... I just thought that history was Will's favorite subject."

Susan laughed. "Oh, baby... no likes history. Except nerds"

"Hey!"

The sound of the adults laughing cause Will to look back at the kitchen and then at Danny. He seemed a little angry at his father's words, something that Will could definitely relate to as her own mother frequently irritated her. Will realized it was partly because of her assumption that Danny would have inherited his smarts from his parents-not that it mattered to Will what Danny's grades were-but she felt obligated to say something to cheer him up. "Parents are ridiculous, huh? On one hand they act all encouraging, then the next they're telling you to stop daydreaming and get a nine to five job."

Danny shrugged. "Yeah... but mine are more ridiculous than most. Are you sure you want to deal with them tomorrow afternoon?" _I'm not_.

"Sure! I really do like science, especially biology. It'd be cool to learn how a ghost works." When they entered the living room Will walked over to Ray Ray and snatched her "nude" photo away from him. "Hope you guys enjoyed the show 'cause it's about to be Ripped!" Will swaggered toward her mother's office with the photo held high, clearly eager to put that part of her life behind her.

The other kids chuckled once Will had left the room. Danny looked at Sam and Tucker for an explanation but his two best friends refused to meet his eye. Danny shrugged to himself and plopped down on the floor at Sam's feet, guessing that whatever it was would come back to bite him like it always did.

* * *

Within a few moments of their defeat of H.A.M. June and Ben were back at Will's apartment building-or at least the building across the street from it. "That didn't look so tall when I was jumping down from it," June said, referring to the distance from Will's apartment's window to where she and Ben were standing. It was like some real-life geometry problem for June as she tried to figure out how to ascend. "Hmmm... forgot my protractor..."

Smelt It looked over June's shoulder and sniffed the air as he tested out the one useful skill his new morph seemed to have. With the Passling's nose Ben could smell as much as his feral alien Wildmutt could but with even greater sensitivity to the many particles in the air. He could smell not only the scents of every person and vehicle on the street and identify every one of them, but could easily differentiate the various foods on June's breath from what she ate in the past twenty-four hours. He could smell the light dabbing of vanilla perfume dubbed at the back of her neck, her shampoo in her hair, Ray's odor where June had headlocked him and... and something coppery that Ben couldn't recognize that reminded him of the taste of old pennies. Dani hadn't possessed this particular smell and Ben dismissed it as he tried to think of a way to return to Will's apartment. "Stinkfly get us up there real quick! Soon as Ben change back to Ben..."

June made a "I don't know about that" noise. "I don't think that we have that much time. Looks like I'm going to have to do a King Kong with you as the blonde woman. Try not to scream if the biplanes show up."

Smelt It-and Ben-were confused by the references. "Ben not scared of planes, Ben..." The Omnitrix timed out and reverted Smelt It back to Ben. Ben took a second to regain his senses and acclimate to his once-again human body... and realized his hands were now clasped on June's chest. Ben yelped and let go of June to fall to the gravel of the rooftop. "I-I-I... I'm sorry! I didn't meant to..."

June set her hands on her hips and looked down at the stuttering boy. "Uh, what are you talking about... oh." June looked down at her shirt. Her lips curled into an evil smile which then turned into a shocked expression. "_Ohhhhh_... you touched my boobies, you touched my boobies! Oh god, oh god! Ewwwwwwww!" She stamped her feet and shook her fists in appropriately girly gestures.

"I'm sorry, so sorry! I..." Ben was still apologizing until he noticed June was laughing. "Hey..."

"Sorry! I couldn't resist!" June held out a hand that a grudgingly amused Ben took and yanked him to his feet. "But seriously, we need to get back up there before anyone notices we're gone. Back on the back, Tennyson."

"Uhm... isn't there any other way you could get me up there?" Ben looked hopefully at the Omnitrix , but it was still red. _I hate you, watch... I hate you so much..._

"Hmmm... I could throw you." June held her hands up as if framing the distance to Will's apartment. "Winds pretty good, get the right angle... pretty sure you'll make it to the building at least."

Ben knew June was messing with him again. Hopefully. "No, fine. Let's do it." Ben carefully placed his arms around June's shoulders as she gripped his knees. "So you can jump all the way to the window?"

"Not with you on board," June admitted, "But that just means we get to go the fun way."

"Fun way..." Before Ben could finish his question, June ran toward the edge of the roof and leapt across the street toward the adjacent building, landing on the awning that covered the entrance to the apartments before Ben could yelp. Her feet sank into the fabric before the awning sent June bouncing several dozen feet in the air. June began jumping from window sill to window sill in a zig-zig pattern up to Will's window, took a minute to assess if anyone was the living room when she got there and hopped lightly through the window into the apartment building. "Huh, that wasn't so bad. You still hanging in there, Tennyson?"

Ben's eyes were spinning in their sockets from June's rapid apartment ascent; when his vision returned he said, "Y-y-y-yeah... I'm not used to being a passenger." Before June could let Ben down Danny, Jake and Will walked into the living room fresh from triumphantly shredding the embarrassing bath tub picture for the third time; Will liked to be thorough.

"So then Sam looks the guy in the eye," Danny said to Will and Jake, "and she says 'Do I look like a Camaro girl to you?!' and Tucker and I were nearly fell over laughing!" Jake and Will laughed at the apparent punchline to Danny's story. "And of course the guy... uh, hi, guys..." He was staring at Ben and June. "What's up?"

"Uhm..." June and Ben looked at each other. "We, uh... Ben was just... _betting me that I couldn't carry him_! Across the living room! On my back!"

"Uh, yeah!" Ben joined in. "She, uh, she can! Way to go, June!" June set him down and they bowed like she had given the performance of her lifetime. "We're here all week!" Danny regarded them with a curious expression but said nothing, privately wondering if he'd been like that at Ben's age.

"Hey!" Will said quickly. "Who wants to watch some TV?" Everyone in the room gave affirmatives as the rest of the kids returned from cleaning their plates. Gwen looked at Ben and gave a sigh of relief. She walked over to her cousin and stared him in the eyes; Ben stared back at her uncertainly.

"For the record," Gwen said, "my hormones are completely wonky at the moment. That is the only reason I'm doing this." In a flurry of sudden movement, Gwen gripped Ben by the shoulders and gave him a tight hug that caused Ben's eyes to bulge in shock. When she released him Gwen drew back a tiny fist and hit Ben in the arm, causing her cousin to yelp in pain then pointed a finger in his face . "Do not mess with me the rest of the night. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

Ben, unsure of what had caused Gwen to become so scarily serious, simply nodded. "Good. Now, let's watch some TV!" Gwen said cheerfully as she sat down in a chair; Ben stared at her for several seconds, then obediently sat on the floor next to the chair and rubbed his arm. Whatever was going on with Gwen, Ben reasoned, it could wait until Grandpa got back.

"So how'd the mission go?" Will asked June as Hay Lin began to flip through the channels. "And what happened to Ben's shirt?"

"Oh, you know," June replied nonchalantly. "Total disaster. I'll tell you the details later."

"Oooh!" Hay Lin said. "Check it out, guys!" Will's television, which was unusually strict for an entertainment device, was showing a picture of the Heatherfield Convention Center as part of a news report. The news anchor was going on about the convention and how it had "captured the imagination of the scientifically-minded of our city."

"Neat!" Spud said as the news footage showed the booths inside of the center. "Ever since I embraced my inner smarty-pants, I've had an infection for a science convention!"

The camera panned over the booths, FentonWorks as well, and was nearly to the end of the show floor when it stopped and swung back to the Fenton booth; it was like the cameraman did an understandable double take at the large structure with the flashing neon sign that said "FentonWorks" in bright orange letters.

"I'm going to take a shot in the dark here," June said, "and say that's your booth, Danny."

"Now _that's_ how you represent!" Jake said appreciatively. "Loud and proud!" Danny shrugged weakly in response.

"Wait til you see what's inside!" Tucker exclaimed. "The best ghost-hunting equipment in the whole convention!" Danny smirked in silent agreement, having had most of FentonWorks' technology tested on Danny Phantom.

The news anchor continued until he got to the sponsor of the paranormal exposition. Danny's eyes narrowed when Evencio Gestard appeared in the frame, smiling at the camera and adjusting his blood-red tie. "Hey look!" Sam laughed. "It's Corpsey the Corporate Goth!"

"Man!" Trixie winced at the screen. "That guy is _cree-pee_! That the fat cat paying for everything?"

"Yeah," Danny answered with a dry mouth. "He's also running a contest at the con for an ancient ghost-catching device my parents want. I just hope we don't have to shake his hand or anything if we win."

Tucker had been surfing the net through Baby to find out more about Gestard and reported the results to Danny. "Huh... according to Wikipedia, Gestard is a real man of mystery; no country of origin, no ethnicity, not even a concrete birth date. Some people think he came from somewhere in Eastern Europe, but that's only hearsay. What it does say is that he's one of the top researchers in several fields including robotics and temporal-spatial mechanics."

"So..." Spud scratched his chin. "He could build a time-traveling robot?"

"Cool," was Ray Ray's response.

"Lately he's shifted to ghosts and ecto-plasmic applications," Tucker continued. "And... ho, boy... guess who his best buddy is?" Danny and Sam stared at him. "What, you're not even going to try? _Fine_... he's tight with our favorite eccentric billionaire, Vlad Masters."

"Vlad!" Danny hissed, hands tightening into fists. "I knew something was wrong with that guy!"

"He's best friends with _Dracula_?!" Ray Ray gasped. The implications of Dracula having a time-traveling robot were... disastrous!

"Not quite, Boomfist," Sam said as she poked the icon on his shirt. "Vlad Masters lacks Dracula's charm and sanity. He's an old friend of Danny's dad, but he's a real douche bag who's crazy in love with Mrs. Fenton. Extra-emphasis on the _crazy_."

"Your moms is pretty fly, man," Jake told Danny.

"Thanks, I guess," Danny said as Will laughed at the expression on his face. "If you say so. But I think Will's mom is pretty cute, actually."

"Huh?" Will raised an eyebrow. "Well, I guess she is..."

"It _does_ run in the family," Danny added with a grin. Will blushed and looked away in embarrassment; her gaze landed on Evencio Gestard and a strange twinge flip-flopped in her stomach as she looked at his dark eyes.

"Wow, Danny is smooth," Sam quipped. "Who knew?"

"Who's smooth?" Jack Fenton said as he entered the living room. "Ewww! That creepy Gestard's on TV! Anyway, who's smooth?"

"Danny is," Tucker said as he shut down Baby. "He's putting the moves on Will in front of her boyfriend!"

"Danny's smooth? Who knew?!" Danny glared at his parent; it was one thing for his friends to harp on him, but it was too much for his dad to join in. "Oh, don't worry about, son! You've got the Fenton charm! Women love it! How do you think I got your mother?"

"I have wondered," Danny insinuated, hoping to get his father back for his earlier comments.

It backfired when Jack agreed. "Huh, me too. Well, we're about ready to leave, kids, so get all your stuff together and clean your messes up. Oh, and Susan asked us to drop Hay Lin and the other kids off at the _Silver Dragon_ since it's so late."

"It's just getting dark!" Will complained. "She's always worried all the time! You'd think we lived in a crime-infested ghetto!"

"Susie's always had a good head on her shoulders," Jack said. "In college she always told me that I should wear my protective eye gear in the lab and the one time I didn't... BAM! Nearly got blinded by a ruptured container of ectoplasmic gas! Vlad had to dunk my head in the toilet to clean out my eyes; that joker, he said he had dreamed of doing that for _years_! Ah, good times, good times..."

Will's guests thanked her for the good time they'd had and all said they couldn't wait to see her tomorrow. Since Susan was watching him from the kitchen, Matt kissed his girlfriend chastely on the cheek while Will gave the dozing Mr. Huggles a kiss from his "mommy" as Hay Lin insisted on dubbing Will. Ben mumbled out his appreciation to Will for the dinner while Spud melodramatically stated, "Til we meet next, dear friend!" to which practical Trixie pointed out would only be fifteen or so hours.

"Hey, Matt?" Danny said to the young musician while he was putting up his equipment. "You know that I wasn't trying to... _try _anything with Will, right?"

"Oh, I know, man," Matt assured him, than said in mock seriousness, "I'm glad you said it, though, since you're so smooth and all."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, the 'Fenton Charm' is just something my dad made up."

"It seems to be working for you." Matt indicated Sam discreetly.

"Huh? Oh, Sam isn't my girlfriend." The response was automatic at this point. "Just a friend."

"Seriously? Oh, yeah, I can see that; I'm friends with Will's girl friends, after all. Sam is really cool and I just thought, y'know..." Matt made some vague gestures with his free hand as his stuffed a sleeping Mr. Huggles into his coat pocket. "I guess what I saying is: why not? I mean, if I wasn't with Will... you know... just saying..."

"Ah, yeah, I get what you mean. Sam _is_ great, but we're not like that." Danny knew exactly what Matt was getting at and ever since his DNA-altering accident Danny had wondered the same thing many times. _Many_ times, since in the wake of the accident Sam had been the person he relied on most. Tucker was his oldest friend and his bud, but there were some comforts that male friends could (and would) not provide unless the other male friend was close to death; Danny really couldn't see Tucker holding his hand to steady him and keep him from phasing through the floor, or share a blanket and body heat when Danny's freezing powers acted up. There was also no way Danny would ever lay his head in Tucker's lap like when he did with Sam on a blanket on top of his home and debated which stars had planets with chest-bursting aliens on them.

Danny was too old to run to his mother for comfort (he thought so, at least; Maddie Fenton's opinion differed greatly) and his sister was too often The Good-Natured Enemy to really confide in her. Danielle often looked to him for comfort and advice so Sam was, to a great extent, the most important female in his adolescent life because she shared all facets of his existence: she went to his school, stayed at his house a great deal and was part of Team Phantom. If he had a problem he generally thought of asking Sam's help first; if he was in pain he sought her to make it better with her words and gentle gestures. She was smart, funny and liked all the things Danny and Tucker enjoyed so she wouldn't dismiss them like other girls did on account of their hobbies.

So, yeah, he thought about dating her. He was a teenage _guy_, all he thought about was girls. Since he relied on her so much, however, Danny couldn't bring himself to actually take the risk of messing up their friendship. At least his superhero status wasn't a factor in his staying platonically friends with Sam; Danny doubted he could have kept Sam out of his ghost-hunting endeavors if he tried. It may have been Danny's family business, but Sam pursued it with a fervor that matched his parents' at times. Heck, Danny would have bet money that most of his ghostly rogues were more afraid of the trigger-happy Sam than Danny Phantom.

Sam was currently talking to an animated Hay Lin-or rather, being talked to as the younger girl was trying to squeeze in her views about Goth fashion trends, how she was into science fiction and anime like Sam and inviting the Amity Parker to come to the _Silver Dragon _to view her designs all in one extended sentence. Danny couldn't help but smile at Sam's wide eyes as she tried to follow Hay Lin while nodding at the various questions tossed her way.

After several minutes of extended goodbyes the Fentons, Hay Lin and the other guests had left the apartment building and headed to the parking lot where the Fentons' vehicle was, Matt politely declining a ride as his house in the opposite direction. Will offered to walk with the guests to the vehicle and quickly planted a more conventional kiss on Matt that left him staggering around the corner of Will's apartment building; many whistles and catcalls bombarded Will as the group walked toward the the parking lot. "You sure all of us are going to fit in your ride?" Jake asked Danny.

Danny grinned widely. "Trust me, that won't be a problem." Every non-Fenton pair of eyes widened at the sight of the silvery grey Fenton Ghost Assault Vehicle with a green "F" painted on the side.

"Are those..." Gwen began to ask. "Are those _treads_?" She was pointing to the back set of wheels that looked like they belonged on a tank instead of recreational vehicle.

"Awesome!" Ben and Ray Ray said in unison.

"FentonWorks," Danny said with a smirk. "We always go big." Ben and Ray Ray had to be pulled out of the way by Sam so Maddie could unlock the GAV by pressing her bare finger against a Fenton Genetic Lock which said, "_Fenton DNA recognized_." The side door slid open to reveal the metal interior of the recreational vehicle.

"DNA mapping," Spud said appreciatively. "_Sweet_. Do you use a concentrated spray of neutrinos and/or other elementary particles to analyze protein strands through their oscillation to map the Fention genome?"

"Hah hah, you nailed it, Artie!" Jack said as he gave the young genius a hearty pat on the back, nearly knocking Spud to the ground.

"Does a what-now to who-what ?" Trixie asked in bewilderment.

"I think Taranee would know it," Hay Lin replied. "I'm more artsy than smart-sy. Ooh, that rhymes!"

"Watch your heads," Danny cautioned as the kids entered the GAV; the interior was crammed with ghost-detecting and ghost-fighting equipment that took up half the space in the vehicle. "Don't have enough seats, just a sec..." Danny pressed a button to retract a spectrum analyzer into the wall of the Ghost Assault Vehicle and raise a row of chairs in its place; he was bemused when this seemed to impress the other kids as much as the vehicle itself had.

"Buckle up for safety, everyone!" Maddie called from the front seat. "And, please, don't touch anything. Some of our equipment can dangerous."

"And loud," Will said quietly to herself as she tried to drown the many voices of the GAV's electrical devices, each one sounding a lot like Jack Fenton as they boasted of their prowess in... whatever they were designed to do.

"_The Fenton Ecto-Beam array can handle anything ghostly incursion_!" the GAV's weapons systems bragged.

"_But the Fenton Ecto-Mesh Barrier will stop anything that you miss_!" another defensice system countered.

"_Fentonworks coffee is the best part of waking up_!" the GAV's coffee maker interjected. "_Unless you're a ghost, then you can choke on my Columbian beans_! _Cream or sugar_?"

"I'm going to head back to the apartment now," Will said as she pinched her nose to ward off a headache. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." She exchanged hugs with June and Hay Lin and bid the others goodbye before exiting the GAV. The door slid closed and the GAV's ecto-powered engine roared to life before the large vehicle accelerated with surprising speed that yanked all inside toward the back of the vehicle; a surprised Will stood blinking stray hairs out of her eyes as she watched the Fenton's family car tear out of the parking lot _just _at the maximum speed limit.

"Everyone buckled up?" Jack asked from the driver's seat.

"Not quite," Ray Ray said from the pile composed of himself, Ben, Spud and a seated Danny's legs, "But we're getting there."

"Is that my leg sticking in someone's armpit, or someone's armpit stuck on my leg?" Spud asked the other members of his pile-up.

"Well, hurry up, boys," Jack admonished gently. "Click it or ticket, after all... and I'm not a hundred percent sure the Ghost Assault Vehicle's weapon systems are a hundred percent _legal_ in this state..."

Danny leaned back into his seat and tried to enjoy the ride; it wasn't hard with the other kids' fascination with the many devices and instrument panels in the GAV. His smile vanished when Ray Ray eagerly eyed a certain button that Danny's parents had warned him never to touch. "No, wait..."

Ray Ray jerked away from the button... but not before his finger landed on it. A panel on top of the GAV slid open and a plasma cannon emerged to search for a viable target. It found two.

* * *

"Man, I don't even know why I let read the maps," 88 groused as the Huntsboys walked down an alley. "You never read'em right. You always get the streets mixed up, the lady's voice on the GPS tells us where to go but you don't listen, nah, nah, you be like, '_I got a great sense of direction_.' You got jack, son, you got _jack_!"

"ZIP IT!" 89 commanded his headache of a partner. "We're right where we should be. In... Heatherfield."

"Yeah, but we're supposed to be at the Heatherfield _Convention Center_, not wandering around like a pair of leprechauns that lost their pot of gold."

"Idiot, leprechauns have their own pots of gold, unless they're married. _Ewwwww_... are you saying we're _married_? Are you gay? You _are_ gay!"

"Bite your tongue, fool! If anyone's gay, it's you!"

"No, you're gay!"

"Nuh uh, you are!"

"You're so gay you're a freakin' rainbow!"

"You're gay!"

"No, you are!"

"Nuh uh,_ you _are!"

"No, you!"

"Don't try to kiss me!"

"Nyugh! I'd rather kiss the American Dragon!"

"Hah! You _are_ gay! Gaygaygaygaygay!"

"I'ma gonna kill you!"

The two feuding Huntsboys were interrupted when the GAV's plasma cannon targeted their advanced weapon packs and fired at what it perceived to be "mid-level threats" as the GAV rumbled down the street. In a testament to the teens incredible luck the cannon's targeting program was not optimized for moving targets; instead of disintegrating them it blasted an unfortunate trashcan out of existence.

"Gah!" 88 leapt into 89's arms. "We under attack! Hold me!" They stared at the silver vehicle as it rounded a corner. "We just got drive-by shot at by the Jetsons! I though this place was safe; _we're_ supposed to be the most dangerous people in town!"

"Yeah...." 89 agreed, then dropped 88 on the pavement. 'You are _so_ gay." He turned and walked back down the alley.

88 stared after him, then shouted with conviction, "Your _mama_'s gay! 'Cause she's... she's a... lesbian and... yeah. Hey, wait up! I was just kidding about your lesbian momma, I'm sure she gets lots of ladies..."

"You're an idiot."

* * *

Inside the GAV Danny breathed a sigh of relief that only a trash can had been annihilated by a FentonWorks product. The two Boy Scouts in weird uniforms had been spooked but not harmed; Danny made a mental note to lock down all the weapons in his family's recreational vehicle and tried not to wince at the sheer weirdness of the thought-and his parents. _It's not like I can judge anybody when it comes to weirdness_, _not after the accident_. _Look at these guys, they're way more normal than I am. Aw, well..._ _on the bright side..._ Danny thought of Will. _At least I have fangirls_!

"Sorry," Ray Ray said sheepishly. "Was that the button to a death ray or something?"

"Nah," Danny grinned as he turned back from the window. "Just the seat warmers."

* * *

Author's Note: Why does Ben keep groping June? First the Ditto scene and now this... Bad Ben! Bad!

I wasn't too satisfied with the dialogue when June was ordering Dani to drop Ben, it was hard to do such a scene with ten to twelve year-olds. If they were twenty or something I would have had Dani flirtily reply, "But I want to keep him!"

Episode References: Ben's left eye twitching when he lies is mentioned in the "Ben 10: Alien Force" episode, "Good Copy, Bad Copy." The Pizza-N-Play restaurant was featured in the episode, "Perfect Day."


End file.
